THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

GIFT  OF 


Estate  of  S.  H.  Cowell 


AN     OUTLINE     HISTORY    OF 


PAINTING 


BEGINNERS    AND    STUDENTS 


COMPLETE    INDEXES    AiVD    NUMEROUS    FULL- 
PAGE    ILLUSTRATIONS 


BY 

CLARA     ERSKINE     CLEMENT 

AUTHOR   OF    "  PAINTERS,   SCULPTORS,    ARCHITECTS,    AND   THEIR   WORKS,"    "  A    HAND-BOOK 
OF   LEGENDARY    AND    MYTHOLOGICAL   ART,"    ETC. 

FIFTH  EDIT/ON 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK   A.    STOKES   COMPANY 

MDCCCXCII 


Copyright,  1883. 
Bv  WHITE,  STOKES.  *  ALLEN 


GIFT 


K/33 


/?o^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Ancient    Painting,    from    the    Earliest   Times    to    the 

Christian  Era, i 

Egypt, 3 

Assyria, 9 

Babylon,            u 

Ancient  Greece  and  Italy, 13 

Mosaics, 34 

Paintings  on  Stone, 36 

Vase-painting, o  36 

CHAPTER  II. 

Medi.«val  Painting,  from  the  Beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian Era  to  the  Renaissance, 41 

The  Early  Period, 42 

The  Central,  or  Romanesque  Period,        .        ...  50 

The  Final,  or  Gothic  Period, 54 

CHAPTER  III. 

Painting   in  Italy,  from  the  Beginning  of  the  Renais- 
sance TO  the  Present  Century, 72 

653 


iv  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PAGE 

Painting  in  Flanders,  Holland,  and  Germany,  ,        .        155 


CHAPTER  V. 
Painting  in  Spain, ,        ,        .    207 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Painting  in  France, 234 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Painting  in  England,     .        .        .        .       .        ,  '    •        .    249 

INDEX, ,.,...        305 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Harp-player  (from  an  Egyptian  painting),      ..... 

King  Ramesses  II.  and  his  Sons  Storming  a  Fortress  (from  Abou- 
simbel), . 

Fragment  of  an  Assyrian  Tile-painting,  .         .         .         .         . 

Sacrifice  of  Iphigenia  (from  a  Pompeian  wall-painting), 

Etruscan  Wall-painting,         ........ 

Human  Sacrifice  Offered  by  Achilles  to  the  Shade  of  Patroklos 
(from  an  Etruscan  wall-painting),         ..... 

The  Aldobrandini  Marriage  (from  a  wall-painting  in  the  Vatican), 

Landscape  Illustration  to  the  Odyssey  (from  a  wall-painting  dis- 
covered on  the  Esquiline  at  Rome),         ..... 

The  Flight  of /Eneas  (from  a  wall-painting),       .... 

Demeter  Enthroned  (from  a  Pompeian  wall-painting), 

Pompeian  Wall-painting,    ........ 

Nest  of  Cupids  (from  a  Pompeian  wall-painting). 

Doves  Seated  on  a  Bowl  (from  a  mosaic  picture  in  the  Capitol, 
Rome),  .......... 

Niobe  (from  a  picture  on  a  slab  of  granite  at  Pompeii), 

The  Dodwell  Vase, 

Scene  in  the  Lower  World  (from  a  vase  of  the  style  of  Lower  Italy), 

Moses  (from  a  painting  in  the  Catacomb  of  S.  Agnes), 

Decoration  of  a  Roof  (Catacomb  of  S.  Domitilla), 

Justinian,  Theodora,  and  Attendants  (from  a  mosaic  picture  at  S. 
Vitalis,  Ravenna),  ......... 

The  Discovery  of  the  Herb  Mandragora  (from  a  MS.  of  Diosko- 
rides,  at  Vienna), 

King  David  Cfrom  a  window  in  Augsburg  Cathedral),     . 

Window  (from  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Denis),         .... 


5 

ID 

i6 


24 
26 

28 
30 
31 
32 
33 

35 
37 
38 
39 
43 
44 

46 

48 

51 
52 


vi  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Figure  of  Henry  I.  in  west  window  of  Strasbourg  Cathedral,  .     55 

Birth  of  the  \'irgin  (from  the  Grandes  Heurcs  of  the  Due  de  Bcrri),  57 
The  Annunciation  (from  the  Mariale  of  Archbishop  Arnestus  of 

Prague), 59 

Painted  Window  at  Konigsfeldcn, 60 

Portrait  of  Cimabue,  .........         61 

The  Madonna  of  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,    .         .         -63 

Portrait  of  Dante,  painted  by  Giotto, 65 

Giotto's  Campanile  and  the  Duomo  (Florence),  .  .  .  -67 
Fra  Angelico  (from  the  representation  of  him  in  the  fresco  of  the 

"  Last  Judgment "  by  Fra  Bartolommeo),        .  -74 

An  Angel  (Fra  Angelico),   ........         77 

Christ  (Gio.  Bellini), 81 

Madonna  (Perugino),  ........         83 

Leonardo  da  Vinci,         .........     85 

The  Last  Supper  (Da  \'inci),      .......         88 

Mona  Lisa  (Da  \'inci),  .........     91 

Portrait  of  Michael  Angelo,         .......         95 

The  Prophet  Jeremiah  (Michael  Angelo),       .....    loi 

Statue  of  Moses  (Michael  Angelo),     ......        102 

The  Madonna  del  Sacco  (Sarto).    .......    106 

Portrait  of  Raphael,  painted  by  himself,    .....        109 

The  Sistine  Madonna  (Raphael)     .         .         .         .  '13 

St.  Cecilia  Listening  to  the  .Singing  of  Angels  (Raphael),  .         .        117 
Portrait  of  Titian  (Caracci),  ........    122 

Portrait  of  Lavinia  (Titian),         .......        125 

Portrait  of  Correggio,     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         -133 

Upper  Part  of  a  Fresco  by  Corrcggio,         .....        136 

Lower  Part  of  a  Fresco  by  Correggio,    ......    138 

Communion  of  St.  Jerome  (Domenichino),  ....        142 

Aurora  ((iuido  Reni),     .........    144 

Beatrice  Cenci  (Guido  Reni),      .......        146 

The  Anchorites   (Van  Eyck),  .         .         .  -^57 

The  Sibyl  and  the  Emperor  Augustus  (Van  dcr  Wcyden),  159 

Rubens  and  his  Second  Wife,         .         .  .         .  163 

The  Return  from  Egypt  (Rubens),      .  .166 

Portrait  of  an  Officer  (Hals), 178 

One  of  Rembrandt's  Portraits  of  Himself,  ....        182 

The  Lecture  on  Anatomy  (Rembrandt),         .  ...    183 

Burgomaster  Meier  Madonna  (Holbein),    ....        191 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Vll 


From  Holbein's  Dance  of  Death,  ..... 
A  Scene  from  Diirer's  Wood  Engravings  of  the  Life  of  the 

Mary, 

The  Four  Apostles  (Diirer),  .... 

Laughing  Peasant  (\'elasquez),  .... 

The  Topers  (Velasquez),         .... 

The  Immaculate  Conception  (Murillo), 

Arcadian  Shepherds  (Poussin), 

The  Sabine  Women  (David),      .... 

Death  of  the  Duke  of  Guise  (Delaroche), 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  ...... 

The  Marriage  Contract  (Hogarth), 

Muscipula  (Reynolds),         ..... 

Portrait  of  Turner,  ..... 

Nantes  (Turner),         ...... 

Illustration  from  Rogers's  Poems, 

The  Slave  Ship  (Turner),  ..... 

The  Eagle  and  Dead  Stag  (Landseer),  . 


193 


Virgin 


196 

.  200 

.     217 

.  219 

.     226 

•  235 

.  241 

•  243 

■     250 

•  253 

.     .     .    256 

.  272 

276 

.     .     .  285 

289 

.  297 

PAINTING. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ANCIENT   PAINTING,   FROM   THE    EARLIEST   TIMES   TO  THE 
CHRISTIAN   ERA. 


IN  speaking  of  art  we  often  contrast  the  useful  or  me- 
chanical arts  with  the  Fine  Arts  ;  by  these  terms  we 
denote  the  difference  between  the  arts  which  are  used  in 
making  such  things  as  are  necessary  and  useful  in  civilized 
life,  and  the  arts  by  which  ornamental  and  beautiful  things 
are  made. 

The  fine  arts  are  Architecture,  Sculpture,  Painting,  Poe- 
try, and  Music,  and  though  we  could  live  if  none  of  these 
existed,  yet  life  would  be  far  from  the  pleasant  experience 
that  it  is  often  made  to  be  through  the  enjoyment  of  these 
arts. 

In  speaking  of  Painting,  just  here  I  wish  to  include  the 
more  general  idea  of  pictures  of  various  sorts,  and  it  seems 
to  me  that  while  picture-making  belongs  to  the  fine  or 
beautiful  arts,  it  is  now  made  a  very  useful  art  in  many 
ways.  For  example,  when  a  school-book  is  illustrated,  how 
much  more  easily  we  understand  the  subject  we  are  study- 


2  PAINTING. 

ing  through  the  help  we  get  from  pictures  of  objects  or 
places  that  we  have  not  seen,  and  yet  wish  to  know  about. 
Pictures  of  natural  scenery  bring  all  countries  before  our 
eyes  in  such  a  way  that  by  looking  at  them,  while  reading 
books  of  travel,  we  may  know  a  great  deal  more  about 
lands  we  have  never  seen,  and  may  never  be  able  to  visit. 

Who  does  not  love  pictures  ?  and  what  a  pleasure  it  is 
to  open  a  magazine  or  book  filled  with  fine  illustrations. 
St.  Augustine,  who  wrote  in  the  fourth  century  after  Christ, 
said  that  "pictures  are  the  books  of  the  simple  or  un- 
learned ;"  this  is  just  as  true  now  as  then,  and  we  should 
regard  pictures  as  one  of  the  most  agreeable  means  of  edu- 
cation. Thus  one  of  the  uses  of  pictures  is  that  they  give 
us  a  clear  idea  of  what  we  have  not  seen  ;  a  second  use  is 
that  they  excite  our  imaginations,  and  often  help  us  to  for- 
get disagreeable  circumstances  and  unpleasant  surround- 
ings. The  cultivation  of  the  imagination  is  very  important, 
because  in  this  way  we  can  add  much  to  our  individual  hap- 
piness. Through  this  power,  if  we  are  in  a  dark,  narrow 
street,  in  a  house  which  is  not  to  our  liking,  or  in  the  midst 
of  any  unpleasant  happenings,  we  are  able  to  fix  our 
thoughts  upon  a  photograph  or. picture  that  may  be  there, 
and  by  studying  it  we  are  able  to  imagine  ourselves  far,  far 
away,  in  some  spot  where  nature  makes  everything  pleas- 
ant and  soothes  us  into  forgetfulness  of  all  that  can  disturb 
our  happiness.  Many  an  invalid — many  an  unfortunate 
one  is  thus  made  content  by  pictures  during  hours  that 
would  otherwise  be  wretched.  This  is  the  result  of  culti- 
vating the  perceptive  and  imaginative  faculties,  and  when 
once  this  is  done,  we  have  a  source  of  pleasure  within  our- 
selves and  not  dependent  on  others  which  can  never  be 
taken  from  us. 

It  often  happens  that  we  see  two  persons  who  do  the 
same  work  and  arc  situated  in  the  same  way  in  the  world 
who  arc  very  different  in  their  manner  ;  one  is  light-hearted 


Fig.  I.— Harp-player.     From  an  E^'ptian  painling. 


4  PAINTING. 

and  happy,  the  other  heavy  and  sad.  If  you  can  find  out 
the  truth,  it  will  result  that  the  sad  one  is  matter-of-fact,  and 
has  no  imagination — he  can  only  think  of  his  work  and 
what  concerns  him  personally  ;  but  the  merry  one  would 
surprise  you  if  you  could  read  his  thoughts — if  you  could 
know  the  distances  they  have  passed  over,  and  what  a  vast 
difference  there  is  between  his  thought  and  his  work.  So 
while  it  is  natural  for  almost  every  one  to  exclaim  joyfully 
at  the  beauty  of  pictures,  and  to  enjoy  looking  at  them  sim- 
ply, I  wish  my  readers  to  think  of  their  uses  also,  and  un- 
derstand the  benefits  that  may  be  derived  from  them.  I 
have  only  hinted  at  a  few  of  these  uses,  but  many  others 
will  occur  to  you. 

When  pictures  are  composed  of  beautiful  colors,  such  as 
we  usually  think  of  when  we  speak  of  the  art  of  painting, 
the  greatest  charm  of  pictures  is  reached,  and  all  civilized 
people  have  admired  and  encouraged  this  art.  It  is  true 
that  the  remains  of  ancient  art  now  e.visting  are  principally 
those  of  architecture  or  sculpture,  yet  there  are  a  sufficient 
number  of  pictures  in  color  to  prove  how  old  the  art  of 
painting  is. 

EGYPT. 

Egyptian  painting  is  principally  found  on  the  walls  of 
temples  and  tombs,  upon  columns  and  cornices,  and  on 
small  articles  found  in  burial  places.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  it  was  used  as  a  decoration  ;  but  it  was  also  intended  to 
be  useful,  and  was  so  employed  as  to  tell  the  history  of  the 
country  ; — its  wars,  with  their  conquests  and  triumphs,  and 
the  lives  of  the  kings,  and  many  other  stories,  are  just  as 
distinctly  told  by  pictures  as  by  the  hieroglyphics  or  Egyp- 
tian writings.  We  can  scarcely  say  that  Egyptian  painting 
is  beautiful  ;  but  it  certainly  is  very  interesting. 

The  l'2gyptians  had  three  kinds  of  painting:  one  on  flat 
surfaces,  a  second  on  Ijas  reliefs,  or  designs  a  little  raised 


i:0/j|[lf!'^i 


6  PAINTING. 

and  then  colored,  and  a  third  on  designs  in  intaglio,  or  hol- 
lowed out  from  the  flat  surface  and  the  colors  applied  to 
the  figures  thus  cut  out.  They  had  no  knowledge  of  what 
we  call  perspective,  that  is,  the  art  of  representing  a  variety 
of  objects  on  one  flat  surface,  and  making  them  appear  to 
be  at  different  distances  from  us — and  you  will  see  from  the 
illustrations  given  here  that  their  drawing  and  their  manner 
of  expressing  the  meaning  of  what  they  painted  were  very 
crude.  As  far  as  the  pictorial  effect  is  concerned,  there  is 
very  little  difference  between  the  three  modes  of  Egyptian 
painting  ;  their  general  appearance  is  very  nearly  the  same. 

The  Egyptian  artist  sacrificed  everything  to  the  one 
consideration  of  telling  his  story  clearly;  the  way  in  which 
he  did  this  was  sometimes  very  amusing,  such  as  the  mak- 
ing one  man  twice  as  tall  as  another  in  order  to  signify  that 
he  was  of  high  position,  such  as  a  king  or  an  officer  of 
high  rank.  When  figures  are  represented  as  following  each 
other,  those  that  are  behind  are  frequently  taller  than  those 
in  front,  and  sometimes  those  that  are  farthest  back  are 
ranged  in  rows,  with  the  feet  of  one  row  entirely  above 
the  heads  of  the  others.  This  illustration  of  the  storming 
of  a  fort  by  a  king  and  his  sons  will  show  you  what  I  mean. 
The  sons  are  intended  to  be  represented  as  following  the 
father,  and  are  in  a  row,  one  above  the  other  (Fig.  2). 

For  the  representation  of  water,  a  strip  of  blue  filled  in 
with  perpendicular  zigzag  black  lines  was  used.  From 
these  few  facts  3'ou  can  understand  how  unformed  and  awk- 
ward Egyptian  pictures  seem  if  we  compare  them  with  the 
existing  idea  of  what  is  beautiful.  There  appear  to  have 
been  certain  fixed  rules  for  the  use  of  colors,  and  certain 
objects  were  always  painted  in  the  colors  prescribed  for 
them.  The  background  of  a  picture  was  always  of  a  single, 
solid  color  ;  Egyptian  men  were  painted  in  a  reddish  brown, 
and  horses  were  of  the  same  shade  ;  women  were  generally 
yellow,  sometimes  a  lighter  brown  than  the  men  ;  negroes 


EGYPT.  7 

were  black,  the  Asiatic  races  yellow,  and  but  one  instance 
is  known  of  a  white  skin,  blue  eyes,  and  yellow  hair.  The 
draperies  about  the  figures  were  painted  in  pleasing  colors, 
and  were  sometimes  transparent,  so  that  the  figures  could 
be  seen  through  them. 

The  execution  of  Egyptian  paintings  was  very  mechan- 
ical. One  set  of  workmen  prepared  the  plaster  on  the  wall 
for  the  reception  of  the  colors  ;  another  set  drew  all  the  out- 
lines in  red  ;  then,  if  chiselling  was  to  be  done,  another  class 
performed  this  labor  ;  and,  finally,  still  others  put  on  the 
colors.  Of  course  nothing  could  be  more  matter-of-fact 
than  such  painting  as  this,  and  under  such  rules  an  artist  of 
the  most  lofty  genius  and  imagination  would  find  it  impos- 
sible to  express  his  conceptions  in  his  work.  We  know  all 
this  because  some  of  these  pictures  exist  in  an  unfinished 
condition,  and  are  left  in  the  various  stages  of  execution  ; 
then,  too,  there  are  other  pictures  of  the  painters  at  their 
work,  and  all  these  different  processes  are  shown  in  them. 
The  outline  drawing  is  the  best  part  of  Egyptian  painting, 
and  this  is  frequently  very  cleverly  done. 

As  I  have  intimated,  the  greatest  value  of  Egyptian 
painting  is  that  it  gives  us  a  clear  record  of  the  habits  and 
customs  of  a  very  ancient  people — of  a  civilization  which 
has  long  since  passed  away,  and  of  which  we  should  have  a 
comparatively  vague  and  unsatisfactory  notion  but  for  this 
picture-history  of  it.  The  religion,  the  political  history, 
and  the  domestic  life  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  are  all  placed 
before  us  in  these  paintings.  Through  a  study  of  them  we 
know  just  how  they  hunted  and  fished,  gathered  their  fruits, 
tilled  the  soil,  and  cooked  the  food,  played  games,  danced, 
and  practised  gj'mnastics,  conducted  their  scenes  of  festiv- 
ity and  mourning — in  short,  how  they  lived  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. Thus  you  see  that  Egyptian  painting  is  a  very 
important  example  of  the  way  in  which  pictures  can  teach 
us ;  you  will  also  notice  that  it  is  not  even  necessary  that 


8  PAINTING. 

they  should  be  pretty  in  order  that  we  may  learn  from 
them. 

Another  use  made  of  Egyptian  painting  was  the  illustra- 
tion of  the  papyrus  rolls  upon  which  historical  and  other 
documents  were  written.  These  rolls,  found  in  the  tombs, 
are  now  placed  in  museums  and  collections  of  curious  things ; 
the  paintings  upon  them  may  be  called  the  oldest  book  il- 
lustrations in  the  world.  Sometimes  a  single  color  is  used, 
such  as  red  or  black  ;  but  others  are  in  a  variety  of  colors 
which  have  been  put  on  with  a  brush.  Indeed,  some  rolls 
exist  which  have  pictures  only,  and  are  entirely  without 
hieroglyphics  or  writing  characters  ;  one  such  is  more  than 
twenty  yards  long,  and  contains  nothing  but  pictures  of 
funeral  ceremonies. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  were  so  serious  a  people  that  it 
is  a  pleasant  surprise  to  find  that  some  of  these  pictures  are 
intended  for  jokes  and  satires,  somewhat  like  those  of  the 
comic  papers  of  to-day  ;  for  example,  there  is  one  in  the 
British  Museum,  London,  representing  cats  and  rats  fight- 
ing, which  is  intended  to  ridicule  the  soldiers  and  heroes  of 
the  Egyptian  army. 

One  cannot  study  Egyptian  painting  without  feeling 
sorry  for  the  painters  ;  for  in  all  the  enormous  amount  of 
work  done  by  them  no  one  man  was  recognized — no  one 
is  now  remembered.  We  know  some  of  the  names  of  great 
Egyptian  architects  which  are  written  in  the  historical  rolls  ; 
but  no  painter's  name  has  been  thus  preserved.  The  fact 
that  no  greater  progress  was  made  is  a  proof  of  the  dis- 
couraging influences  that  must  have  been  around  these 
artists,  for  it  is  not  possible  that  none  of  them  had  imagina- 
tion or  originality  :  there  must  have  been  some  whose  souls 
were  filled  with  poetic  visions,  for  some  of  the  Egyptian 
writings  show  that  poetry  existed  in  ancient  Egypt.  But 
of  what  use  could  imagination  be  to  artists  who  were  gov- 
erned by  the  laws  of  a  narrow  priesthood,  and  hedged  about 


ASSYRIA.  9 

by  a  superstitious  religion  which  even  laid  down  rules  for 
art? 

For  these  reasons  we  know  something  of  Egyptian  art 
and  nothing  of  Egyptian  artists,  and  from  all  these  influ- 
ences it  follows  that  Egyptian  painting  is  little  more  than  an 
illuminated  alphabet  or  a  child's  picture-history.  In  the 
hieroglyphics,  or  writing  characters  of  Egypt,  it  often  occurs 
that  small  pictures  of  certain  animals  or  other  objects  stand 
for  whole  words,  and  it  appears  that  this  idea  was  carried 
into  Egyptian  painting,  which  by  this  means  became  simply 
a  picture  chronicle,  and  never  reached  a  point  where  it 
could  be  called  truly  artistic  or  a  high  art. 

ASSYRIA. 

The  remains  of  Assyrian  painting  are  so  few  that  they 
scarcely  serve  any  other  purpose  than  to  prove  that  the 
Assyrians  were  accustomed  to  decorate  their  walls  with 
pictures.  Sometimes  the  walls  were  prepared  with  plaster, 
and  the  designs  were  painted  on  that ;  in  other  cases  the 
painting  was  done  upon  the  brick  itself.  The  paintings  on 
plaster  were  usually  on  the  inner  walls,  and  many  of  these 
which  have  been  discovered  during  the  excavations  have 
disappeared  when  exposed  to  the  air  after  their  long  burial 
from  the  sight  and  knowledge  of  the  world. 

Speaking  of  these  pictures,  the  writer  on  art,  J.  Oppert, 
says  that  some  paintings  were  found  in  the  Palace  of  Sar- 
gon  ;  they  represented  gods,  lions,  rosettes,  and  various 
other  designs  ;  but  when  he  reached  Nineveh,  one  year 
after  these  discoveries,  the  pictures  had  all  disappeared — 
the  colors  which  had  been  buried  twenty-five  hundred  years 
lasted  but  a  few  days  after  they  were  uncovered. 

Assyrian  tile-painting  was  more  durable  than  the  wall- 
painting  ;  but  in  all  the  excavations  that  have  been  made 
these  have  been  found  only  in  fragments,  and  from  these 


Fig.  3.— Fkagmknt  of  an  Assykian   1  ill-pain tkng. 


ASSYRIA,   BABYLON.  II 

fragments  no  complete  picture  has  been  put  together.  The 
largest  one  was  found  at  Nimrud,  and  our  illustration  is 
taken  from  it.  It  represents  a  king,  as  we  know  by  the 
tiara  he  wears,  and  two  servants  who  follow  him.  The  pic- 
tures to  which  the  existing  fragments  belong  could  not 
have  been  large  :  the  figures  in  our  picture  are  but  nine 
inches  high.  A  few  pieces  have  been  found  which  must 
have  belonged  to  larger  pictures,  and  there  is  one  which 
shows  a  part  of  a  face  belonging  to  a  figure  at  least  three 
feet  high  ;  but  this  is  very  unusual. 

The  Assyrian  paintings  have  a  broad  outline  which  is 
of  a  lighter  color  than  the  rest  of  the  picture  ;  it  is  generally 
white  or  yellow.  There  are  very  few  colors  used  in  them. 
This  does  not  accord  with  our  notions  of  the  dresses  and 
stuffs  of  the  Assyrians,  for  we  suppose  that  they  were  rich 
and  varied  in  color — probably  they  had  so  few  pigments 
that  they  could  not  represent  in  their  paintings  all  the 
colors  they  knew. 

No  one  can  give  a  very  satisfactory  account  of  Assyrian 
painting  ;  but,  judging  from  the  little  of  it  which  remains, 
and  from  the  immense  number  of  Assyrian  sculptures  which 
exist,  we  may  conclude  that  the  chief  aim  of  Assyrian  ar- 
tists was  to  represent  each  object  they  saw  with  absolute 
realism.  The  Dutch  painters  were  remarkable  for  this  trait 
and  for  the  patient  attention  which  they  gave  to  the  details 
of  their  work,  and  for  this  reason  Oppert  has  called  the  As- 
syrians the  Dutchmen  of  antiquity. 

BABYLON. 

In  Babylon,  in  the  sixth  century  B.C.,  under  the  reign  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  the  art  of  tile-painting  reached  a  high 
state  of  perfection.  The  Babylonians  had  no  such  splendid 
alabaster  as  had  the  Assyrians,  neither  had  they  lime-stone  ; 
so  they  could  not  make  fine  sculptured  slabs,  such  as  are 


12  PAINTING. 

found  at  Nineveh  and  in  other  Assyrian  ruins.  But  the 
Babylonians  had  a  fine  clay,  and  they  learned  how  to  use  it 
to  the  best  advantage.  The  city  of  Babylon  shone  with 
richly  colored  tiles,  and  one  traveller  writes  :  "  By  the  side 
of  Assyria,  her  colder  and  severer  sister  of  the  North,  Baby- 
lon showed  herself  a  true  child  of  the  South,  —  rich,  glowing, 
careless  of  the  rules  of  taste,  only  desiring  to  awaken  ad- 
miration by  the  dazzHng  brilliance  of  her  appearance." 

Many  of  the  Babylonish  tiles  are  in  regular,  set  patterns 
in  rich  tints  ;  some  are  simply  in  solid  colors.  These  last 
are  found  in  the  famous  terrace-temple  of  Borsippe,  near 
Babylon.  We  know  from  ancient  writings  that  there  were 
decorative  paintings  in  Babylon  which  represented  hunting 
scenes  and  like  subjects,  and,  according  to  the  prophet 
Ezekiel,  chap,  xxiii.,  verse  14,  there  were  "  men  portrayed 
upon  the  wall,  the  images  of  the  Chaldeans  portrayed  with 
vermilion,  girded  with  girdles  upon  their  loins,  exceeding 
in  dyed  attire  upon  their  heads,  all  of  them  princes  to  look 
to,  after  the  manner  of  the  Babylonians  of  Chaldea,  the  land 
of  their  nativity."  Some  writers  assume  that  this  must  have 
been  a  description  of  tapestries  ;  but  most  authorities  be- 
lieve them  to  have  been  glazed  tile-paintings. 

A  whole  cargo  of  fragments  of  Babj-lonish  tile-paintings 
was  once  collected  for  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre  at  Paris, 
and,  when  on  board  a  ship  and  ready  to  be  sent  away,  by 
some  accident  the  whole  was  sunk.  From  the  descriptions 
of  them  which  were  written,  we  find  that  there  were  por- 
tions of  pictures  of  luiman  faces  and  other  parts  of  the 
body,  of  animals,  mountains,  and  forests,  of  water,  walls, 
and  trees. 

Judging  from  what  still  remains,  the  art  of  painting  was 
far  less  important  and  much  less  advanced  among  the  East- 
ern or  Oriental  nations  than  were  those  of  architecture  and 
sculpture.  It  is  very  strange  that  these  peoples,  who  seem 
to  have  observed  nature  closely,  and   to  have  masteretl   the 


ANCIENT   CREECH   AND    ITALY.  1 3 

mathematical  sciences,  made  no  steps  toward  the  discovery 
of  the  laws  of  perspective  ;  neither  did  they  know  how  to 
give  any  expression  of  thought  or  feeling  to  the  human 
face.  In  truth,  their  pictures  were  a  mere  repetition  of  set 
figures,  and  were  only  valuable  as  pieces  of  colored  decora- 
tions for  walls,  adding  a  pleasing  richness  and  variety  by 
their  different  tints,  but  almost  worthless  as  works  of  art. 

ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY. 

The  painting  of  Greece  and  that  of  ancient  Italy  are  so 
much  the  same  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  speak  of  them 
separately  ;  the  art  of  painting  was  carried  from  Greece  to 
Italy  by  the  Etruscans,  and  the  art  of  ancient  Rome  was 
simply  that  of  Greece  transplanted.  If  Greek  artists  were 
employed  by  Romans,  certainly  their  works  were  Greek  ; 
and  if  Romans  painted  they  aimed  to  imitate  the  Greeks 
exactly,  so  that  Italian  painting  before  the  time  of  the 
Christian  era  must  be  considered  together  with  that  of 
Greece. 

In  architecture  and  sculpture  the  ancient  Greeks  ac- 
cepted what  had  been  done  by  the  Egyptians  and  Assyr- 
ians as  a  foundation,  and  went  on  to  perfect  the  work  of  the 
older  nations  through  the  aid  of  poetic  and  artistic  imagina- 
tions. But  in  painting  the  Greeks  followed  nothing  that 
had  preceded  them.  They  were  the  first  to  make  pictures 
which  were  a  life-like  reproduction  of  what  they  saw  about 
them  :  they  were  the  first  to  separate  painting  from  sculp- 
ture, and  to  give  it  such  importance  as  would  permit  it  to 
have  its  own  place,  quite  free  from  the  influence  of  any 
other  art,  and  in  its  own  way  as  grand  and  as  beautiful  as 
its  sister  arts. 

There  are  writers  who  trace  the  origin  and  progress  of 
Greek  painting  from  the  very  earliest  times  ;  but  I  shall  be- 
gin with  Apollodorus,  who  is  spoken  of  as  the  first  Greek 


14  PAINTING. 

painter  worthy  of  fame,  because  he  was  the  first  one  who 
knew  how  to  make  his  pictures  appear  to  be  real,  and  to 
follow  the  rules  of  perspective  so  as  to  have  a  background 
from  which  his  figures  stood  out,  and  to  shade  his  colors 
and  soften  his  outlines.  He  was  very  famous,  and  was 
called  skiagraphos,  which  means  shadow  painter. 

Apollodorus  was  an  Athenian,  and  Ii\ed  at  about  the 
close  of  the  fifth  century  B.C.  Although  he  was  a  remark- 
able artist  then,  we  must  not  fancy  that  his  pictures  would 
have  satisfied  our  idea  of  the  beautiful— in  fact,  Plin}-,  the 
historian,  who  saw  his  pictures  six  hundred  years  later,  at 
Pergamos,  says  that  Apollodorus  was  but  the  gatekeeper 
who  threw  open  the  gates  of  painting  to  the  famous  artists 
who  lived  after  liim. 

Zeuxis  was  a  pupil  of  Apollodorus,  and  a  great  artist 
also.  He  was  born  at  Heraclea,  probably  in  Lower  Italy. 
When  young  he  led  a  wandering  life ;  he  studied  at  Athens 
under  Apollodorus,  and  settled  in  Ephesus.  He  was  in  the 
habit  of  putting  his  pictures  on  exhibition,  and  charging  an 
admittance  fee,  just  as  artists  do  now  :  he  called  himself 
"the  unsurpassable,"  and  said  and  did  many  vain  and  fool- 
ish things.  Near  the  end  of  his  life  he  considered  his  pic- 
tures as  beyond  any  price,  and  so  gave  them  away.  Upon 
one  of  his  works  lie  wrote,  "  Easier  to  carp  at  than  to  copy." 
It  is  said  that  he  actually  laughed  himself  to  death  from 
amusement  at  one  of  his  own  pictures,  which  represented 
an  old  woman. 

Zeuxis  had  a  rival  in  the  painter  Parrhasius,  and  their 
names  are  often  associated.  On  one  occasion  the\'  made 
trial  of  their  artistic  skill.  Zeuxis  painted  a  bunch  of  grapes 
so  naturally  that  the  birds  came  to  peck  at  them.  Then 
Parrhasius  painted  a  hanging  curtain,  and  when  his  picture 
was  exposed  to  the  public  Zeuxis  asked  him  to  draw  aside 
his  curtain,  fully  believing  it  t(i  be  of  cloth  and  concealing 
a  picture  behind  it.      Thus  it  was  judged  that  Parrhasius 


ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY.  1 5 

was  the  best  artist,  for  he  had  deceived  Zeuxis,  while  the 
latter  had  only  deceived  the  birds. 

From  these  stories  it  appears  that  these  artists  tried  to 
imitate  objects  with  great  exactness.  Parrhasius,  too,  was 
a  vain  man,  and  went  about  in  a  purple  robe  with  a  gold 
wreath  about  his  head  and  gold  clasps  on  his  sandals  ;  he 
painted  his  own  portrait,  and  called  it  the  god  Hermes, 
or  Mercury  ;  he  wrote  praises  of  himself  in  which  he  called 
himself  by  many  high-sounding  names,  for  all  of  which  he 
was  much  ridiculed  by  others. 

However,  both  these  artists  were  surpassed  by  Timan- 
thes,  according  to  the  ancient  writers,  who  relate  that  he 
engaged  in  a  trial  of  skill  with  Parrhasius,  and  came  off  the 
victor  in  it.  The  fame  of  his  picture  of  the  "  Sacrifice  of 
Iphigenia  "  was  very  great,  and  its  one  excellence  seems  to 
have  been  in  the  varied  expression  of  its  faces.  The  de- 
scriptions of  this  great  work  lead  to  the  belief  that  this 
Pompeian  wall-painting,  from  which  we  give  a  cut,  closely 
resembles  that  of  Timanthes,  which  no  longer  exists. 

The  story  of  Iphigenia  says  that  when  her  father,  King 
Agamemnon,  killed  a  hart  which  was  sacred  to  Diana,  or 
Artemis,  that  goddess  becalmed  his  fleet  so  that  he  could 
not  sail  to  Troy.  Then  the  seer,  Calchas,  advised  the  king 
to  sacrifice  his  daughter  in  order  to  appease  the  wrath  of 
Diana.  Agamemnon  consented  ;  but  it  is  said  that  the 
goddess  was  so  sorry  for  the  maiden  that  she  bore  her 
away  to  Tauris,  and  made  her  a  priestess,  and  left  a  hart  to 
be  sacrificed  instead  of  Iphigenia.  In  our  cut  you  see 
Calchas  on  the  right  ;  two  men  are  bearing  the  maiden  to 
her  doom,  while  her  father  stands  on  the  left  with  his  head 
veiled  from  sight  (Fig.  4). 

Zeuxis,  Parrhasius,  and  Timanthes  belonged  to  the  Ion- 
ian school  of  painting,  which  flourished  during  the  Pelopon- 
nesian  war.  This  school  was  excelled  by  that  of  Sikyon, 
which  reached  its  highest  prosperity  between  the  end  of  the 


Fig.  4.— Sacrifice  of  Iphigenia.     From  a  Pompiian  •Mall-painting. 


ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY,  IJ 

Peloponnesian  war  and  the  death  of  Alexander  the  Great. 
The  chief  reason  why  this  Dorian  school  at  Sikyon  was  so 
fine  was  that  here,  for  the  first  time,  the  pupils  followed  a 
regular  course  of  study,  and  were  trained  in  drawing  and 
mathematics,  and  taught  to  observe  nature  with  the  strict- 
est attention.  The  most  famous  master  of  this  school  was 
Pausias  ;  some  of  his  works  were  carried  to  Rome,  where 
they  were  much  admired.  His  picture  of  the  garland- 
weaver,  Glykera,  gained  him  a  great  name,  and  by  it  he 
earned  the  earliest  reputation  as  a  flower-painter  that  is 
known  in  the  history  of  art. 

Nikomachos,  who  lived  at  Thebes  about  360  B.C.,  was 
famous  for  the  rapidity  with  which  he  painted  pictures  that 
were  excellent  in  their  completeness  and  beauty.  Aris- 
tides,  the  son  or  brother  of  Nikomachos,  was  so  good  an 
artist  that  Attains,  king  of  Pergamos,  offered  more  than 
twenty  thousand  pounds,  or  about  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  for  his  picture  of  Dionysus,  or  Bacchus,  This  won- 
derful picture  was  carried  to  Rome,  and  preserved  in  the 
temple  of  Ceres  ;  but  it  no  longer  exists.  Euphranor  was 
another  great  painter,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  power 
to  give  great  expression  to  the  faces  and  a  manly  force  to 
the  figures  which  he  painted. 

Nikias,  the  Athenian,  is  said  to  have  been  so  devoted  to 
his  art  that  he  could  think  of  nothing  else  :  he  would  ask 
his  servants  if  he  had  bathed  or  eaten,  not  being  able  to  re- 
member for  himself.  He  was  very  rich,  and  when  King 
Ptolemy  of  Egypt  ofiered  him  more  than  sixty  thousand 
dollars  for  his  picture  of  Ulysses  in  the  under- world,  he 
refused  this  great  sum,  and  gave  the  painting  to  his  native 
city.  Nikias  seems  to  have  greatly  exalted  and  respected 
his  art,  for  he  contended  that  painters  should  not  fritter 
away  time  and  talent  on  insignificant  subjects,  but  ought 
rather  to  choose  some  grand  event,  such  as  a  battle  or  a 
sea-fight.  His  figures  of  women  and  his  pictures  of  ani- 
2 


1 8  PAINTING. 

mals,  especially  those  of  dogs,  were  much  praised.  Some 
of  his  paintings  were  encaustic,  that  is  to  say,  the  colors 
were  burned  in  ;  thus  they  must  have  been  made  on  plaster 
or  pottery  of  some  sort.  Nikias  outlived  Alexander  the 
Great,  and  saw  the  beginning  of  the  school  of  painters  to 
which  the  great  Apelles  belonged — that  which  is  called  the 
Hellenic  school,  in  which  Greek  art  reached  its  highest 
point. 

Apelles  was  the  greatest  of  all  Greek  painters.  He  was 
born  at  Kolophon  ;  but  as  he  made  his  first  studies  at  Ephe- 
sus  he  has  been  called  an  Ephesian  :  later  he  studied  in  the 
school  of  Sikyon,  but  even  when  a  pupil  there  he  was  said 
to  be  the  equal  of  all  his  instructors.  Philip  of  Macedon 
heard  of  his  fame,  and  persuaded  Apelles  to  remove  to  his 
capital  city,  which  was  called  Pella.  While  there  Apelles 
became  the  friend  of  the  young  Alexander,  and  when  the 
latter  came  to  the  throne  he  made  Apelles  his  court-painter, 
and  is  said  to  have  issued  an  edict  forbidding  all  other  ar- 
tists from  painting  his  portrait.  Later  on  Apelles  removed 
to  Ephesus. 

During  the  early  part  of  his  artistic  life  Apelles  did 
little  else  than  paint  such  pictures  as  exalted  the  fame  of 
Philip,  and  afterward  that  of  Alexander.  He  painted  many 
portraits  of  both  these  great  men  ;  for  one  of  Alexander 
he  received  nearly  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  ;  in  it  the 
monarch  was  represented  as  grasping  the  thunderbolt,  as 
Jupiter  might  have  done,  and  the  hand  appeared  to  be 
stretched  out  from  the  picture.  This  portrait  was  in  the 
splendid  temple  of  Diana,  or  Artemis,  at  Ephesus.  Alex- 
ander was  accustomed  to  say  of  it,  "  There  are  two  Alex- 
anders, one  invincible,  the  living  son  of  Philip — the  other 
immutable,  the  picture  of  Apelles." 

Later  in  his  life  Apelles  painted  many  pictures  of  mytho- 
logical subjects.  He  visited  Alexandria,  in  Egypt ;  he 
did  not  win  the  favor  of  King  Ptolemy,  and  his  enemies  in 


ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY.  1 9 

the  Egyptian  court  played  cruel  practical  jokes  upon  him. 
On  one  occasion  he  received  an  invitation  to  a  feast  at 
which  the  king  had  not  desired  his  presence.  The  monarch 
was  angry  ;  but  Apelles  told  him  the  truth,  and  appeased 
his  wrath  by  sketching  on  the  wall  the  exact  likeness  of  the 
servant  who  had  carried  the  invitation  to  him.  However, 
Ptolemy  remained  unfavorable  to  him,  and  Apelles  painted 
a  great  picture,  called  Calumny,  in  which  he  represented 
those  who  had  been  his  enemies,  and  thus  held  them  up  to 
the  scorn  of  the  world.  Apelles  visited  Rhodes  and  Athens, 
but  is  thought  to  have  died  in  the  island  of  Kos,  where 
he  had  painted  two  very  beautiful  pictures  of  the  goddess 
Venus.  One  of  these  is  called  the  Venus  Anadyomene,  or 
Venus  rising  from  the  sea.  The  emperor  Augustus  carried 
this  picture  to  Rome,  and  placed  so  high  a  value  on  it  that 
he  lessened  the  tribute-money  of  the  people  of  Kos  a  hun- 
dred talents  on  account  of  it.  This  sum  was  about  equal  to 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  our  money. 

The  art  of  Apel  es  was  full  of  grace  and  sweetness,  and 
the  finish  of  his  pictures  was  exquisite.  The  saying,  "  leave 
off  in  time,"  originated  in  his  criticism  of  Protogenes,  of 
whom  he  said  that  he  was  his  superior  except  that  he  did 
not  know  when  to  leave  off,  and  by  too  much  finishing  les- 
sened the  effect  of  his  work.  Apelles  was  modest  and  gen- 
erous :  he  was  the  first  to  praise  Protogenes,  and  conferred 
a  great  benefit  upon  the  latter  by  buying  up  his  pictures, 
and  giving  out  word  that  he  was  going  to  sell  them  as  his 
own.  Apelles  was  never  afraid  to  correct  those  who  were 
ignorant,  and  was  equally  ready  to  learn  from  any  one  who 
could  teach  him  anything.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  Alexander  was  in  his  studio,  and  talked  of  art,  Apelles 
advised  him  to  be  silent  lest  his  color-grinder  should  laugh 
at  him.  Again,  when  he  had  painted  a  picture,  and  ex- 
posed it  to  public  view,  a  cobbler  pointed  out  a  defect  in 
the   shoe-latchet  ;  Apelles  changed  it,   but  when  the  man 


20  PAINTING. 

next  proceeded  to  criticise  the  leg  of  the  figure,  Apelles 
repUed,  "  Cobbler,  stick  to  your  last."'  These  sayings 
have  descended  to  our  own  day,  and  have  become  classical. 
All  these  anecdotes  from  so  remote  a  time  are  in  a  sense 
doubtful  ;  but  they  are  very  interesting — young  people 
ought  to  be  familiar  with  them,  but  it  is  also  right  to  say 
that  they  are  not  known  to  be  positively  true. 

Protogenes  of  Rhodes,  to  whom  Apelles  was  so  friendly, 
came  to  be  thought  a  great  painter.  It  is  said  that  when 
Demetrius  made  war  against  Rhodes  the  artist  did  not 
trouble  himself  to  leave  his  house,  which  was  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  enemy's  camp.  When  questioned  as  to  his 
fearlessness  he  replied,  "  Demetrius  makes  war  against  the 
Rhodians,  and  not  against  the  Arts."  It  is  also  said  that 
after  hearing  of  this  reply  Demetrius  refrained  from  burning 
the  town,  in  order  to  preserve  the  pictures  of  Protogenes. 

The  ancient  writers  mention  many  other  Greek  paint- 
ers, but  none  as  important  as  those  of  whom  we  have 
spoken.  Greek  painting  never  reached  a  higher  point  than 
it  had  gained  at  the  beginning  of  the  Hellenistic  age. 
Every  kind  of  painting  except  landscape-painting  had 
been  practised  by  Greek  artists  ;  but  that  received  no  at- 
tention until  figure-painting  had  declined.  Vitruvius  men- 
tions that  the  ancients  had  some  very  important  wall-paint- 
ings consisting  of  simple  landscapes,  and  that  others  had 
landscape  backgrounds  with  figures  illustrating  scenes  from 
the  poems  of  Homer.  But  we  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  Greek  landscape-painting  was  ever  more  than  scenic 
or  decorative  work,  and  thus  fell  far  short  of  what  is  now 
the  standard  for  such  painting. 

The  painting  of  the  early  Romans  was  principally  de- 
rived from  or  through  the  early  Etruscans,  and  the  Etrus- 
cans are  believed  to  have  first  learned  their  art  from  Greek 
artists,  who  introduced  plastic  art  into  Italy  as  early  as  B.C. 
655,    when    Demaratus    was    expelled    from    Corinth — and 


ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY.  21 

later,  Etruscan  art  was  influenced  by  the  Greek  colonies  of 
Magna  Gra^cia.  So  it  is  fair  to  say  that  Etruscan  art  and 
early  Roman  art  were  essentially  Greek  art.  The  earliest 
artists  who  are  known  to  ha\'e  painted  in  Rome  had  Greek 
names,  such  as  Ekphantos,  Damophilos,  and  Gargasos. 
Later  on  in  history  there  are  painters  mentioned  with  Latin 
names,  but  there  is  little  of  interest  related  concerning 
them  ;  in  truth,  Ludius  (who  is  also  called  by  various 
authors  Tadius  and  Studius)  is  the  only  really  interesting 
ancient  Roman  painter  of  whom  we  know.  He  lived  in  the 
time  of  Augustus,  and  Pliny  said  of  him  :  "  Ludius,  too, 
who  lived  in  the  age  of  the  divine  Augustus,  must  not  be 
cheated  of  his  fame.  He  was  the  first  to  bring  in  a  singu- 
larly delightful  fashion  of  wall-painting — villas,  colonnades, 
examples  of  landscape-gardening,  woods  and  sacred  groves, 
reservoirs,  straits,  rivers,  coasts,  all  according  to  the  heart's 
desire — and  amidst  them  passengers  of  all  kinds  on  foot,  in 
boats,  driving  in  carriages,  or  riding  on  asses  to  visit  their 
country  properties  ;  furthermore  fishermen,  bird-catchers, 
hunters,  vintagers  ;  or,  again,  he  exhibits  stately  villas,  to 
which  the  approach  is  through  a  swamp,  with  men  stagger- 
ing under  the  weight  of  the  frightened  women  whom  they 
have  bargained  to  carry  on  their  shoulders  ;  and  many  an- 
other excellent  and  entertaining  device  of  the  same  kind. 
The  same  artist  also  set  the  fashion  of  painting  views — and 
that  wonderfully  cheap — of  seaside  towns  in  broad  day- 
hght." 

We  caimot  think  that  Ludius  was  the  first  painter, 
though  he  may  have  been  the  first  Roman  painter,  who 
made  this  sort  of  pictures,  and  he  probably  is  the  only  one 
of  whose  work  any  part  remains.  Brunn  and  other  good 
authorities  believe  that  the  wall-painting  of  Prima  Porta,  in 
Rome,  was  executed  by  Ludius.  It  represents  a  garden, 
and  covers  the  four  walls  of  a  room.  It  is  of  the  decorative 
order  of  painting,  as  Pliny  well  understood,  for  he  speaks 


ANCIENT    GREECE    AND    ITALY.  23 

of  the  difference  between  the  work  of  Ludius  and  that  of 
the  true  artists  who  painted  panel  pictures  and  not  wall- 
paintings.  After  the  time  of  Ludius  we  can  give  no  trust- 
worthy account  of  any  fine,  Roman  painter. 

The  works  of  the  ancient  painters  which  still  remain  in 
various  countries  are  wall-paintings,  paintings  on  vases, 
mosaics,  paintings  on  stone,  and  certain  so-called  minia- 
tures ;  and  besides  these  principal  works  there  are  many 
small  articles,  such  as  mirrors,  toilet  cases,  and  other  useful 
objects,  which  are  decorated  in  colors. 

\Vc  will  first  speak  of  the  mural,  or  wall-paintings,  as 
they  are  the  most  important  and  interesting  remains  of  an- 
cient painting.  W-^  shall  only  consider  such  as  have  been 
found  in  Italy,  as  t'.cse  of  other  countries  are  few  and  un- 
important. 

The  Etruscan  tombs  which  have  been  opened  contain 
many  beautiful  objects  of  various  kinds,  and  were  frequently 
decorated  with  mural  pictures.  They  often  consist  of  sev- 
eral rooms,  and  have  the  appearance  of  being  prepared  as 
a  home  for  the  living  rather  than  for  the  dead.  I  shall  give 
you  no  long  or  wordy  description  of  them  ;  because  if  what 
I  tell  you  leads  you  to  wish  to  know  more  about  them, 
there  are  many  excellent  books  describing  them  which  you 
can  read.  So  I  will  simply  give  you  two  cuts  from  these 
Etruscan  paintings,  and  tell  )'ou  about  them. 

Fig.  5  is  in  a  tomb  known  as  the  Grotta  dclla  Qucrciola. 
The  upper  part  represents  a  feast,  and  the  lower  portion 
a  boar-hunt  in  a  wood,  which  is  indicated  by  the  few  trees 
and  the  little  twigs  which  are  intended  to  represent  the 
underbrush  of  the  forest.  If  we  compare  these  pictures 
with  the  works  of  the  best  Italian  masters,  they  seem 
very  crude  and  almost  childish  in  their  simplicity ;  but, 
if  we  contrast  them  with  the  paintings  of  the  Egyptians 
and  Assyrians,  we  see  that  a  great  advance  has  been  made 
since  the  earliest  paintings  of  which  we  know  were   done. 


ANCIENT    GREECE    AND    ITALY.  2$ 

The  pose  and  action  of  the  figures  and  their  grace  of  move- 
ment, as  well  as  the  folding  of  the  draperies,  are  far  better 
than  anything  earlier  than  the  Greek  painting  of  which 
there  is  any  knowledge  ;  for,  as  we  have  said,  these  Etrus- 
can works  are  essentially  Greek. 

Fig.  6  belongs  to  a  later  period  than  the  other,  and 
is  taken  from  a  tomb  at  Vulci  which  was  opened  in  1857 
by  Francois.  This  tomb  has  seven  different  chambers, 
several  of  which  are  decorated  with  wall-paintings  of  myth- 
ological subjects.  A  square  chamber  at  the  end  of  the 
tomb  has  the  most  imjDortant  pictures.  On  one  side  the 
human  sacrifices  which  were  customary  at  Etruscan  funerals 
are  represented  :  the  pictures  are  very  painful,  and  the  terror 
and  agony  of  the  poor  victims  who  are  being  put  to  death 
make  them  really  repulsive  to  see.  On  an  opposite  wall 
is  the  painting  from  which  our  cut  is  taken.  This  repre- 
sents the  sacrifices  made  before  Troy  by  Achilles,  on  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  his  dear  friend  Patroklos.  The  figure 
with  the  hammer  is  Charon,  who  stands  ready  to  receive 
the  sacrifice  which  is  intended  to  win  his  favor.  Your 
mythology  will  tell  you  the  story,  which  is  too  long  to  be 
given  here.  The  realism  of  this  picture  is  shocking  in  its 
effect,  and  yet  there  is  something  about  the  manner  of  the 
drawing  and  the  arrangement  of  the  whole  design  that  fixes 
our  attention  even  while  it  makes  us  shudder. 

The  ancient  wall-paintings  which  have  been  found  in 
Rome  are  far  more  varied  than  are  those  of  Etruria  ;  for, 
while  some  of  the  Roman  pictures  are  found  in  tombs,  others 
arc  taken  from  baths,  palaces,  and  villas.  They  generally 
belong  to  one  period,  and  that  is  about  the  close  of  the  Re- 
public and  the  beginning  of  the  Empire.  Modern  excava- 
tions have  revealed  many  of  these  ancient  paintings  ;  but 
so  many  of  them  crumble  and  fade  away  so  soon  after  they 
are  exposed  to  the  air,  that  few  remain  in  a  condition  to 
afford  any  satisfaction    in    seeing   them.      But   fortunately 


ANCIENT   GREECE   AND    ITALY.  27 

drawings  have  been  made  of  nearly  all  these  pictures  before 
they  fell  into  decay. 

Some  of  the  ancient  paintings  have  been  carefully  re- 
moved from  the  walls  where  they  were  found,  and  placed 
in  museums  and  other  collections.  One  of  the  finest  of 
these  is  in  the  Vatican,  and  is  called  the  Aldobrandini  Mar- 
riage. It  received  this  name  from  the  fact  that  Cardinal 
Aldobrandini  was  its  first  possessor  after  its  discovery,  near 
the  Arch  of  Gallienus,  in  1606. 

As  you  will  see  from  Fig.  7,  from  it,  there  are  three 
distinct  groups  represented.  In  the  centre  the  bride  veiled, 
with  her  head  modestly  bowed  down,  is  seated  on  a  couch 
with  a  woman  beside  her  who  seems  to  be  arranging  some 
part  of  her  toilet,  while  another  stands  near  holding  oint- 
ment and  a  bowl.  At  the  head  of  the  couch  the  bride- 
groom is  seated  on  a  threshold.  The  upper  part  of  his 
figure  is  bare,  and  he  has  a  garland  upon  his  head.  On  the 
right  of  the  picture  an  ante-room  is  represented  in  which 
are  three  women  with  musical  instruments,  singing  sacri- 
ficial songs.  To  the  left,  in  another  apartment,  three  other 
women  are  preparing  a  bath.  This  is  charming  on  account 
of  the  sweet,  serious  way  in  which  the  whole  story  is  placed 
before  us  ;  but  as  a  painting  it  is  an  inferior  work  of  art — 
not  in  the  least  above  the  style  which  we  should  call  house 
decoration. 

Although  ancient  writers  had  spoken  of  landscape  paint- 
ings, it  was  not  until  1848-1850,  when  a  series  of  them  was 
discovered  on  the  Esquiline  in  Rome,  that  any  very  satis- 
factory specimens  could  be  shown.  These  pictures  number 
eight  :  six  are  complete,  of  the  seventh  but  half  remains, 
and  the  eighth  is  in  a  very  imperfect  state.  They  may  be 
called  historical  landscapes,  because  each  one  has  a  complete 
landscape  as  well  as  figures  which  tell  a  story.  They  illus- 
trate certain  passages  from  the  Odyssey  of  Homer.  The 
one  from  which  our  cut  is  taken  shows  the  visit  of  Ulysses 
to  the  lower  world.     When  on  the  wall  the  pictures  were 


ANCIENT    GREECE   AND    ITALY.  29 

divided  by  pilasters,  and  finished  at  the  top  by  a  border  or 
frieze.  The  pilasters  are  bright  red,  and  the  chief  colors  in 
the  picture  are  a  yellowish  brown  and  a  greenish  blue.  In 
this  scene  the  way  in  which  the  light  streams  through  the  en- 
trance to  the  lower  world  is  very  striking,  and  shows  the  many 
figures  there  with  the  best  possible  efiect.  Even  those  in  the 
far  distance  on  the  right  are  distinctly  seen.  This  collection 
of  Esquiline  wall-paintings  is  now  in  the  Vatican  Library. 

Besides  the  ancient  mural  paintings  which  have  been 
placed  in  the  museums  of  Rome,  there  are  others  which 
still  remain  where  they  were  painted,  in  palaces,  villas,  and 
tombs.  Perhaps  those  in  the  house  of  Livia  are  tlic  most 
interesting  ;  they  represent  mythological  stories,  and  one 
frieze  has  different  scenes  of  street  life  in  an  ancient  town. 
Though  these  decorations  are  done  in  a  mechanical  sort  of 
painting,  such  as  is  practised  b}' the  ordinary  fresco  painters 
of  our  own  time,  yet  there  was  sufficient  artistic  feeling  in 
their  authors  to  prevent  their  repeating  any  one  design. 

One  circumstance  proves  that  this  class  of  picture  was 
not  thought  very  important  w^hen  it  was  made,  which  is  that 
the  name  of  the  artist  is  rarely  found  upon  his  work:  in  but 
one  instance  either  in  Rome  or  Pompeii  has  this  occurred, 
namely,  in  a  chamber  which  was  excavated  in  the  gardens 
of  the  Farnesina  Palace  at  Rome,  and  the  name  is  Seleucus. 

We  have  not  space  to  speak  of  all  the  Italian  cities  in 
which  these  remains  are  discovered,  and,  as  Pompeii  is 
the  one  most  frequently  visited  and  that  in  which  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  ancient  pictures  hav^e  been  found,  I 
will  give  a  few  illustrations  from  them,  and  leave  the  subject 
of  ancient,  mural  paintings  there.  Many  of  the  Poinpeian 
pictures  have  been  removed  to  the  Museum  of  Naples, 
though  many  still  remain  where  they  were  first  painted. 

The  variet)'  of  subjects  at  Pompeii  is  large  :  there  are 
landscapes,  hunting  scenes,  mj'thological  subjects,  numer- 
ous kinds  of  single  figures,  such  as  dancing  girls,  the  hours. 


30 


PAINTING. 


or  seasons,  graces,  satyrs,  and  many  others  ;  devotional 
pictures,  such  as  representations  of  the  ancient  divinities, 
lares,    penates,  and   genii ;    pictures    of    tavern    scenes,  of 


Fig.  9. —  I'HK  Flight  of  ^NKAS.    From  a  vjall-paintitig. 

mechanics  at  their  work  ;  rope-dancers  and  representations 
of  various  games,  gladiatorial  contests,  genre  scenes  from 
the  lives  of  children,  youths,  and  women,  festival  ceremonies, 
actors,  poets,  and  stage  scenes,  and  last,  but  not  least,  many 
caricatures,  of  which  I  here  give  you  an  example  (Fig.  9). 

The  largest  dog  is  yEneas,  who  leads  the  little  Ascanius 
by  the  hand  and  carries  his  father,  Anchises,  on  his  shoulder. 
Frequently  in  the  ancient  caricatures  monkeys  are  made  to 
take  the  part  of  historical  and  imaginary  heroes. 

Fig.  1 1  shows  you  how  these  painted  walls  were  some- 


f'iG.  lo. — Dfmktkr   Entiironeu.     From  a  Pompciati  wall-pahitin^ 


32 


rAIMlNG. 


times  divided  ;  the  principal  subjects  were  surrounded  by 
ornamental  borders,  and  the  spaces  between  filled  in  with 
all  sorts  of  little  compartments.  The  small  spaces  in  this 
picture  are  quite  regular  in  form  ;  but  frequently  they  are 
of  varied   shapes,  and  give  a  very  decorative  effect  to  the 


Fig.  II.— Pomprian  Wai.t.-painting. 

whole  work.  The  colors  used  upon  these  different  panels, 
as  they  may  be  called,  were  usually  red,  yellow,  black,  and 
white-  more  rarely  blue  and  green.  Sometimes  the  entire 
decoration  consisted  of  these  small,  variously  colored  spaces, 
divided  by  some  graceful  little  border,  with  a  \'cr\'  small 
figure,  plant,  or  other  object  in  the  centre  of  each  sjiace. 


34  PAINTING. 

Fig.  lo,  of  Demeter,  or  Ceres,  enthroned  is  an  example 
of  such  devotional  paintings  as  were  placed  above  the 
altars  and  shrines  for  private  worship  in  the  houses  of  Pom- 
peii, or  at  the  street  corners,  just  as  we  now  see  pictures  and 
sacred  figures  in  street  shrines  in  Roman  Catholic  countries. 
In  ancient  days,  as  now,  these  pictures  were  often  done  in 
a  coarse  and  careless  manner,  as  if  religious  use,  and  not  art, 
was  the  object  in  the  mind  of  the  artist. 

Fig.  12,  of  a  Nest  of  Cupids  is  a  very  interesting  ex- 
ample of  Pompeian  painting,  and  to  my  mind  it  more  nearly 
resembles  pictures  of  later  times  than  does  any  other  ancient 
painting  of  which  I  know. 

MOSAICS. 

The  pictures  known  as  mosaics  are  made  by  fitting  to- 
gether bits  of  marble,  stone,  or  glass  of  different  colors  and 
so  arranging  them  as  to  represent  figures  and  objects  of 
various  kinds,  so  that  at  a  distance  they  have  much  the 
same  effect  as  that  of  pictures  painted  with  brush  and  colors. 
The  art  of  making  mosaics  is  very  ancient,  and  was  prob- 
ably invented  in  the  East,  where  it  was  used  for  borders  and 
other  decorations  in  regular  set  patterns.  It  was  not  until 
after  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great  that  the  Greeks  used 
this  process  for  making  pictures.  At  first,  too,  mosaics 
were  used  for  floors  or  pavements  only,  and  the  designs  in 
them  were  somewhat  like  those  of  the  tile  pavements  of  our 
own  time. 

This  picture  of  doves  will  give  you  a  good  idea  of  a 
mosaic  ;  this  subject  is  a  very  interesting  one,  because  it  is 
said  to  have  been  first  made  by  Sosos  in  Pergamos.  It  was 
often  repeated  in  later  days,  and  that  from  which  our  cut  is 
taken  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  Hadrian's  villa  at  Tivoli, 
near  Rome  ;  it  is  known  as  the  Capitoline  Doves,  from  the 
fact  that  it  is  now  in  the  Capitoline  Museum  in  Rome.    P'cw 


MOSAICS.  35 

works  of  ancient  art  are  more  admired  and  as  frequently 
copied  as  this  mosaic  :  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  ladies  wea»- 
brooches  with  this  design  in  fine  mosaic  work. 

A  few  examples  of  ancient  mosaics  which  were  used  for 
wall  decorations  have  been  found  ;  they  may  almost  be  said 
not  to  exceed  a  dozen  ;  but  pavement  mosaics   are  very 


Fig.  13. — Doves  Seated  on  a  Bowl.     From  a  mosaic  picture  in  the  Ca/iun', 

Rome. 

numerous,  and  are  still  seen  in  the  places  for  which  they 
were  designed  and  where  they  have  been  during  many 
centuries,  as  well  as  in  museums  to  which  they  have  been 
removed.  They  are  so  hard  in  outline  and  so  mechanical 
in  every  way  that  they  are  not  very  attractive  if  we  think 
of  them  as  pictures,  and  their  chief  interest  is  in  the  skill 
and  patience  with  which  mosaic  workers  combine  the  num- 


^6  PAINTING. 

berless  particles  of  one  substance  and  another  which  go  to 
make  up  the  whole. 

Mosaic  pictures,  as  a  rule,  are  not  large  ;  but  one  found 
at  Palestrina,  which  is  called  the  Nile  mosaic,  is  six  by  five 
metres  inside.  Its  subject  is  the  inundation  of  a  village  on 
the  river  Nile.  There  are  an  immense  number  of  figures  and 
a  variety  of  scenes  in  it ;  there  are  Egyptians  hunting  the 
Nile  horse,  a  party  of  revellers  in  a  bower  draped  with  vines, 
bands  of  warriors  and  other  groups  of  men  occupied  in  dif- 
ferent pursuits,  and  all  represented  at  the  season  when  the 
Nile  overflows  its  banks.  This  is  a  very  remarkable  work, 
and  it  has  been  proved  that  a  portion  of  the  original  is  in 
the  Berlin  Museum,  and  has  been  replaced  by  a  copy  at 
Palestrina. 

PAINTINGS    ON    STONE. 

It  is  well  known  that  much  of  the  decoration  of  Greek 
edifices  was  in  colors.  Of  course  these  paintings  were  put 
upon  the  marble  and  stone  of  which  the  structures  were 
made.  The  Greeks  also  made  small  pictures  and  painted 
them  on  stone,  just  as  canvas  and  panels  of  wood  are  now 
used.  Such  painted  slabs  have  been  found  in  Herculaneum, 
in  Corneto,  and  in  different  Etruscan  tombs  ;  but  the  most 
important  and  satisfactory  one  was  found  at  Pompeii  in  1872. 
Since  then  the  colors  have  almost  vanished  ;  but  Fig.  14, 
from  it,  will  show  you  how  it  appeared  when  found.  It 
represents  the  mythological  story  of  the  punishment  of 
Niobc,  and  is  very  beautiful  in  its  design. 

VASE-PAINTING. 

Vase-painting  was  another  art  very  much  practised  by 
the  ancients.  So  much  can  be  said  of  it  that  it  would  re- 
quire more  space  than  we  can  give  for  its  history  even  in 
outline.      So  I  shall  only  say  that  it  fills  an  important  place 


Fig.  14.— Niobe.     From  a  picture  on  a  slab  of  granite  at  Fompcii. 


38  PAINTING. 

in  historic  art,  because  from  the  thousands  of  ancient  vases 
that  have  been  found  in  one  country  and  another,  much  has 
been  learned  concerning  the  history  of  these  lands  and  the 
manners  and  customs  of  their  people  ;  occasionally  inscrip- 
tions are  found  upon  decorated  vases  which  are  of  great 
value  to  scholars  who  study  the  history  of  the  past. 

The  Dodwell  vase  shows  you  the  more  simple  style  of 
decoration  which  was  used  in  the  earlier  times.  Gradually 
the  designs  came  to  be  more  and  more  elaborate,  until 
whole  stories  were  as  distinctly  told  by  the  pictures  on 
vases  as  if  they  had  been  written  out  in  books.     The  next 


Fig.  15.— The  Douweli,  Vase.    .//  Munich. 

cut,  which  is  made  from  a  vase-painting,  will   show  Avhat  I 
mean. 

The  subject  of  Fig,  16  is  connected  with  the  service  of 
the  dead,  and  shows  a  scene  in  the  under  world,  such  as 
accorded  with  ancient  religious  notions.  In  the  upper  por- 
tion the  friends  of  the  deceased  are  grouped  around  a  little 
temple.  Scholars  trace  the  manufacture  of  these  vases  back 
to  very  ancient  days,  and  down  to  its  decline,  about  two 
centuries  before  Christ.  I  do  not  mean  that  vase-painting 
ceased  theji,  for  its  latest  traces  come  down  to  65  1?.C.;  but 
like  all  other  ancient   arts,  it   was  then    in   a   state  of  de- 


40  PAINTING. 

cadence.  Though  vase-painting  was  one  of  the  lesser  arts, 
its  importance  can  scarcely  be  overestimated,  and  it  fully 
merits  the  devoted  study  and  admiration  which  it  receives 
from  those  who  are  learned  in  its  history. 

From  what  we  know  of  ancient  Greek  painting  we  may 
believe  that  this  art  first  reached  perfection  in  Greece.  If 
we  could  see  the  best  works  of  Apclles,  who  reached  the 
highest  excellence  of  any  Greek  painter,  wc  might  find 
some  lack  of  the  truest  science  of  the  art  when  judged  by 
more  modern  standards  ;  but  the  Greeks,  must  still  be  cred- 
ited with  having  been  the  first  to  create  a  true  art  of  paint- 
ing. After  the  decline  of  Greek  art  fifteen  centuries  elapsed 
before  painting  was  again  raised  to  the  rank  which  the 
Greeks  had  given  it,  and  if,  according  to  our  ideas,  the 
later  Italian  painting  is  in  any  sense  superior  to  the  Greek, 
we  must  at  least  admit  that  the  study  of  the  works  of  an- 
tiquity which  still  remained  in  Italy,  excited  the  great  mas- 
ters of  the  Renaissance  to  the  splendid  achievements  which 
they  attained. 


CHAPTER  11. 

MEDI.EVAL     PAINTING,     FROM     THE     BEGINNING     OF     THE 
CHRISTIAN   ERA   TO   THE   RENAISSANCE. 

THE  Middle  Ages  extend  from  the  latter  part  of  the 
fifth  century  to  the  time  of  the  Renaissance,  or  about 
the  fifteenth  century.  The  painting  of  this  period  has  little 
to  attract  attention  if  regarded  only  from  an  artistic  stand- 
point, for  we  may  truly  say  that,  comparing  it  with  the 
Greek  art  W'hich  had  preceded  it,  or  with  the  Italian  art 
which  followed  it,  that  of  the  Middle  Ages  had  no  claim  to 
the  beautiful.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  full  of  interest  to 
students,  because  it  has  its  part  in  the  history  of  art ;  there- 
fore I  shall  give  a  mere  outline  of  it,  so  that  this  link  in 
the  chain  which  unites  ancient  and  modern  painting  may 
not  be  entirely  wanting  in  our  book. 

Early  mediaeval  painting,  down  to  about  A.D.  950,  con- 
sists principally  of  paintings  in  burial-places,  mosaics 
(usually  in  churches),  and  of  miniatures,  or  the  illustration 
and  illumination  of  J/55.,  which  were  the  books  of  that  time, 
and  were  almost  without  exception  religious  writings.  Thii 
period  is  called  the  Early  Period  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  the 
pictures  are  often  called  the  works  of  Early  Christian  Art. 

About  1050  a  revival  of  intellectual  pursuits  began  in 
some  parts  of  Europe,  and  from  that  time  it  may  be  said 
that  the  Renaissance,  or  new  birth  of  art  and  letters,  was  in 
its  A  B  Cs,  or  very  smallest  beginnings.     The  period  be- 


42  PAINTING. 

tween  950  and  1250  is  often  called  the  Central  or  Roman- 
esque Period  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  it  was  during  this 
time  that  glass-painting  originated  ;  it  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  features  of  art  in  mediaeval  times. 

From  1250  to  1400  comes  the  Final  or  Gothic  Period  of 
the  Middle  Ages,  and  this  has  some  very  interesting  fea- 
tures which  foretell  the  coming  glory  of  the  great  Renais- 
sance. 

THE   EARLY   PERIOD. 

The  paintings  of  the  catacombs  date  from  the  third 
and  fourth  centuries  after  Christ.  The  catacombs,  or  burial- 
places  of  the  early  Christians,  consist  of  long,  narrow,  sub- 
terranean passages,  cut  with  regularity,  and  crossing  each 
other  like  streets  in  a  city.  The  graves  are  in  the  sides  of 
these  passages,  and  there  are  some  larger  rooms  or  cham- 
bers into  which  the  narrow  passages  run.  There  are  about 
sixty  of  the  catacombs  in  and  near  Rome ;  they  are  gener- 
ally called  by  the  name  of  some  saint  who  is  buried  in 
them.  The  paintings  are  in  the  chambers,  of  which  there 
are  sometimes  several  quite  near  each  other.  The  reason 
for  their  being  in  these  underground  places  was  that  Chris- 
tians were  so  persecuted  under  the  Romans,  that  they  were 
obliged  to  do  secretly  all  that  they  did  as  Christians,  so 
that  no  attention  should  be  attracted  to  them. 

The  principal  characteristics  of  these  pictures  are  a  sim- 
ple majesty  and  earnestness  of  effect  ;  perhaps  spirituality  is 
the  word  to  use,  for  by  these  paintings  the  early  Christians 
desired  to  express  their  belief  in  the  religion  of  Christ,  and 
especially  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  which  was  a  very 
precious  doctrine  to  them.  The  catacombs  of  Rome  were 
more  numerous  and  important  than  those  of  any  other  city. 

Many  of  the  paintings  in  the  catacombs  had  a  symbolic 
meaning,  beyond  the  plainer  intention  which  appeared  at 
the  first  sight  of  them  :  you  will  know  what  I  mean  when  I 


Fig.  17  —Moses.      From  a  painting  in  the  Catacomb  of  S.  Agnes, 


44 


PAINTING. 


say  that  not  only  was  this  picture  of  Moses  strikinjj  the 
rock  intended  to  represent  an  historical  fact  in  the  life  of 
Moses,  but  the  flowing  water  was  also  regarded  as  a  type 
of  the  blessing  of  Christian  baptism. 

The  walls  of  the  chambers  of  the  catacombs  are  laid  out 


Fig.  i8. — Decoration  of  a  Roof.    Catacomb  of  S.  Domitilla. 


in  such  a  manner  as  to  have  the  effect  of  decorated  apart- 
ments, just  as  was  done  in  the  pagan  tombs,  and  some- 
times the  pictures  were  a  strange  union  of  j^agan  and  Chris- 
tian devices. 

The  above  cut,  from  the  Catacomb  of  S.  Domitilla,  has  in 


MEDI.KVAL   PAINTING.  45 

the  centre  the  pagan  god  Orpheus  playing  his  lyre,  while 
in  the  alternate  compartments  of  the  border  are  the  follow- 
ing Christian  subjects:  i,  David  with  the  Sling  ;  2,  Moses 
Striking  the  Rock  ;  3,  Daniel  in  the  Lion's  Den  ;  4,  The 
Raising  of  Lazarus.  The  other  small  divisions  have  pictures 
of  sacrificial  animals.  These  two  cuts  will  give  you  an  idea 
of  the  catacomb  wall-paintings. 

The  mosaics  of  the  Middle  Ages  were  of  a  purely  orna- 
mental character  down  to  the  time  of  Constantine.  Then, 
when  the  protection  of  a  Christian  emperor  enabled  the 
Christians  to  express  themselves  without  fear,  the  doctrines 
of  the  church  and  the  stories  of  the  life  of  Christ  and  the 
histories  of  the  saints,  as  well  as  many  other  instructive  re- 
ligious subjects,  were  made  in  mosaics,  and  placed  in  prom- 
inent places  in  churches  and  basilicas.  Mosaics  are  very 
durable,  and  many  belonging  to  the  early  Christian  era  still 
remain. 

The  mosaics  at  Ravenna  form  the  most  connected  series, 
and  are  the  best  preserved  of  those  that  still  exist.  While 
it  is  true  in  a  certain  sense  that  Rome  was  always  the  art 
centre  of  Italy,  it  is  also  true  that  at  Ravenna  the  works  of 
art  have  not  suffered  from  devastation  and  restoration  as 
have  those  of  Rome.  After  the  invasion  of  the  Visigoths 
in  A.D.  404,  Honorius  transferred  the  imperial  court  to 
Ravenna,  and  that  city  then  became  distinguished  for  its 
learning  and  art.  The  Ravenna  mosaics  are  so  numerous 
that  I  shall  only  speak  of  one  series,  from  which  I  give  an 
illustration  (Fig.  19). 

This  mosaic  is  in  the  church  of  S.  Vitalis.  which  was 
built  between  A.D.  526  and  547.  Tn  the  dome  of  the  church 
there  is  a  grand  representation  of  Christ  enthroned  ;  below 
Him  are  the  sacred  rivers  of  Paradise  ;  near  Him  are  two 
angels  and  S.  Vitalis,  to  whom  the  Saviour  is  presenting  a 
crown  ;  Bishop  Ecclesius,  the  founder  of  the  church,  is  also 
represented  near  by  with  a  model  of  the  church  in  his  hand. 


46 


PAINTING. 


On  a  lower  wall  there  are  two  pictures  in  which  the 
Emperor  Justinian  and  the  Empress  Theodosia  are  repre- 
sented :  our  cut  is  from  one  of  these,  and  shows  the  em- 
peror and  empress  in  magnificent  costumes,  each  followed 
by  a  train  of  attendants.  This  emperor  never  visited 
Ravenna ;  but  he  sent  such  rich  gifts  to  this  church  that  he 
and  his  wife  are  represented  as  its  donors. 

After  the  time  of  Justinian  (A.D.  527-565)  mosaics  be- 


FiG.  19 —Justinian,  TnKonoRA,  and  A:  iendants.     From  a  mosaii  picture 
at  S.   I  'italis,  A'avcn/iu. 

gan  to  be  less  artistic,  and  those  of  the  later  time  degener- 
ated, as  did  everything  else  during  the  Middle  or  Dark  Ages, 
and  at  last  all  works  of  art  show  less  and  less  of  the  Greek 
or  Classic  influence. 

When  we  use  the  word  miniature  as  an  art  term,  it  docs 
not  mean  simply  a  small  picture  as  it  does  in  orrlinary  con- 
versation ;  it  means  the  pictures  executed  by  the  hand  of  an 
illuminator  or  viiniator  of  manuscripts,  and  he  is  so  called 
from  the  minium  or  cinnabar  which  he  used  in  making  colors. 


MINIATURE.  47 

In  the  days  of  antiquity,  as  I  have  told  you  in  speaking 
of  Egypt,  it  was  customary  to  illustrate  manuscripts,  and 
during  the  Middle  Ages  this  art  was  very  extensively  prac- 
tised. Many  monks  spent  their  whole  lives  in  illuminating 
religious  books,  and  in  Constantinople  and  other  eastern 
cities  this  art  reached  a  high  degree  of  perfection.  Some 
manuscripts  have  simple  borders  and  colored  initial  letters 
only  ;  sometimes  but  a  single  color  is  used,  and  is  generally 
red,  from  which  comes  our  word  rubric,  which  means  any 
writing  or  printing  in  red  ink,  and  is  derived  from  the  Latin 
riibrinn,  or  red.  This  was  the  origin  of  illumination  or 
miniature-painting,  w^hich  went  on  from  one  step  to  another 
until,  at  its  highest  state,  most  beautiful  pictures  were 
painted  in  manuscripts  in  which  rich  colors  were  used  on 
gold  or  silver  backgrounds,  and  the  effect  of  the  W'hole  was 
as  rich  and  ornamental  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine. 

Many  of  these  old  manuscripts  are  seen  in  museums, 
libraries,  and  various  collections  ;  they  are  very  precious 
and  costly,  as  well  as  interesting  ;  their  study  is  fascinating, 
for  almost  every  one  of  the  numberless  designs  that  are  used 
in  them  has  its  own  symbolic  meaning.  The  most  ancient, 
artistic  miniatures  of  which  we  know  are  those  on  a  manu- 
script of  a  part  of  the  book  of  Genesis  ;  it  is  in  the  Imperial 
Library  at  Vienna,  and  was  made  at  the  end  of  the  fifth 
centur}'.  Li  the  same  collection  there  is  a  very  extraordi- 
nary manuscript,  from  which  I  give  an  illustration. 

This  manuscript  is  a  treatise  on  botany,  and  was  written 
by  Dioskorides  for  his  pupil,  the  Princess  Juliana  yVnicia,  a 
granddaughter  of  the  Emperor  Valentine  III.  As  this  prin- 
cess died  at  Constantinople  A.D.  527,  this  manuscript  dates 
from  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century.  This  picture  from 
it  represents  Dioskorides  dressed  in  white  robes  and  seated 
in  a  chair  of  gold  ;  before  him  stands  a  woman  in  a  gold 
tunic  and  scarlet  mantle,  who  represents  the  genius  of  dis- 
covery ;  she  presents  the  legendary  mandrake  root,  or  man- 


48 


PAINTING. 


dragora,  to  the  learned  man,  while  between  them  is  the  dog 
that  has  pulled  the  root,  and  falls  dead,  according  to  the 
fabulous  story.    This  manuscript  was  painted  by  a  masterly 


I'lG.  20.— Thk  Discovery  of  the  Hkrb  Mandragora.    From  a  MS.  of  Dios- 

kuriilcs,  iit  Vii'niiii. 


hand,  and  is  curious  and  interesting  ;  the  plants,  snakes, 
birds,  and  insects  must  have  been  painted  from  nature,  and 
the  whole  is  most  skilfully  done. 


MINIATURE.  49 

During  the  Middle  Ages  the  arts  as  practised  in  Rome 
were  carried  into  all  the  different  countries  in  which  the 
Romans  made  conquests  or  sent  their  monks  and  mission- 
aries to  establish  churches,  convents,  and  schools.  Thus 
the  mediaeval  arts  were  practised  in  Gaul,  Spain,  Germany, 
and  Great  Britain.  No  wall-paintings  or  mosaics  remain 
from  the  early  German  or  Celtic  peoples  ;  but  their  illumi- 
nated manuscripts  are  very  numerous  :  miniature-painting 
was  extensively  done  in  Ireland,  and  many  Irish  manuscripts 
remain  in  the  collections  of  Great  Britain. 

When  Charlemagne  became  the  king  of  the  Franks  in 
768,  there  was  little  knowledge  of  any  art  among  his  north- 
ern subjects  ;  in  800  he  made  himself  emperor  of  the  Ro- 
mans, also,  and  when  the  Franks  saw  all  the  splendor  of 
Rome  and  other  parts  of  Italy,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the 
great  emperor  to  introduce  the  arts  into  the  Frankish  por- 
tion of  his  empire.  All  sorts  of  beautiful  objects  were  car- 
ried from  Italy  by  the  Franks,  and  great  workshops  were 
established  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  the  capital,  and  were  placed 
under  the  care  of  Eginhard,  who  was  skilled  in  bronze-cast- 
ing, modelling,  and  other  arts  ;  he  was  called  Bezaleel,  after 
the  builder  of  the  Tabernacle.  We  have  many  accounts  of 
the  wall-paintings  and  mosaics  of  the  Franks  ;  but  there  are 
no  remains  of  them  that  can  be  identified  with  positive  ac- 
curacy. 

Miniature-painting  flourished  under  the  rule  of  Charle- 
magne and  his  family,  and  reached  a  point  of  great  magnifi- 
cence in  efiect,  though  it  was  never  as  artistic  as  the  work 
of  the  Italian  miniators  ;  and,  indeed,  gradually  everything 
connected  with  art  was  declining  in  all  parts  of  the  world  ; 
and  as  we  study  its  history,  we  can  understand  why  the 
terms  Dark  Ages  and  Middle  Ages  are  used  to  denote  the 
same  epoch,  remarkable  as  it  is  for  the  decay  and  extinction 
of  so  many  beautiful  things. 

4 


50  FAULTING. 


THE   CENTRAL,    OR   ROMANESQUE    PERIOD. 

During  the  Romanesque  Period  (950-1250)  architecture 
was  pursued  according  to  laws  which  had  grown  out  of  the 
achievements  and  experiences  of  earher  ages,  and  had 
reached  such  a  perfection  as  entitled  it  to  the  rank  of  a  noble 
art.  But  this  was  not  true  of  painting,  which  was  then  but 
little  more  than  the  painting  of  the  Egyptians  had  been, 
that  is,  a  sort  of  picture-writing,  which  was  principally  used 
to  illustrate  the  doctrines  of  religion,  and  by  this  means  to 
teach  them  to  peoples  who  had  no  books,  and  could  not 
have  read  them  had  they  existed. 

During  all  this  time  the  art  of  painting  was  largely 
under  the  control  of  the  priests.  Some  artists  were  priests 
themselves,  and  those  who  were  not  were  under  the  direc- 
tion of  some  church  dignitary.  Popes,  bishops,  abbots, 
and  so  on,  were  the  principal  patrons  of  art,  and  they  sug- 
gested to  the  artists  the  subjects  to  be  painted,  and  then  the 
pictures  were  used  for  the  decoration  of  churches  and  other 
buildings  used  by  the  religious  orders.  The  monks  were 
largely  occupied  in  miniature-painting ;  artists  frequented 
the  monasteries,  and.  indeed,  when  they  were  engaged  upon 
religious  subjects,  they  were  frequently  under  the  same  dis- 
cipline as  that  of  the  monks  themselves. 

Next  to  the  influence  of  the  church  came  that  of  the 
court  ;  but  in  a  way  it  was  much  the  same,  for  the  clergy 
had  great  influence  at  court,  and,  although  painting  was 
used  to  serve  the  luxury  of  sovereigns  and  nobles,  it  was 
also  true  that  these  high  personages  often  employed  artists 
to  decorate  chapels  and  to  paint  altar-pieces  for  churches 
at  their  expense,  for  during  the  Romanesque  period  there 
was  some  painting  on  panels.  At  first  these  panel-pictures 
were  placed  on  the  front  of  the  altar  where  draperies  had 
formerly  been  used  :   later  they  were  raised  above  the  altar- 


GLASS-PAINTING. 


51 


and  also  put  in  various  parts  of  the  church.  The  painting 
of  the  Romanesque  period  was  merely  a  decline,  and  there 
can  be  little  more  said  of  it  than  is  told  by  that  one  word. 

Glass-painting  dates  from  this  time.  The  very  earliest 
specimens  of  which  we  know  are  from 
the  eleventh  century.  Before  that  time 
there  had  been  transparent  mosaics  made 
by  putting  together  bits  of  colored  glass, 
and  arranging  them  in  simple,  set  and  or- 
namental patterns.  Such  mosaics  date 
from  the  earliest  days  of  Christianity, 
and  were  in  use  as  soon  as  glass  was 
used  for  windows.  From  ancient  writ- 
ings we  know  that  some  windows  were 
made  with  pictures  upon  them  as  long 
ago  as  A.D.  989;  but  nothing  now  re- 
mains from  that  remote  date. 

There  is  a  doubt  as  to  whether  glass- 
painting  originated  in  France  or  Germany. 
Some  French  authors  ascribe  its  inven- 
tion to  Germany,  while  some  German 
writers  accord  the  same  honor  to  France. 
Remains  of  glass-painting  of  the  eleventh 
century  have  been  found  in  both  these 
countries  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  five 
windows  in  the  Cathedral  of  Augsburg 
date  from  1065,  and  are  a  little  older 
than  any  others  of  which  we  know.  This 
picture  of  David  is  from  one  0/  them, 
and  is  probably  as  old  as  any  painted 
window  in  existence. 

The  oldest  glass-painting  in  France  is  probably  a  sin- 
gle fragment  in  the  Cathedral  of  Le  Mans.  This  cathed- 
ral was  completed  in  1093,  but  was  badly  burned  in  11 36, 
so  that  but  a  single  piece  of  its  windows  remains  ;  this  has 


Fig.  21— Kim;  David. 
From  a  windoiv  in 
Augsburg  Cathedral. 


1-IG.  22.  — Window.     I-romlUf  i\itludi.il  of  St.  Dam. 


MEDI.F.VAL    PAINTING.        '  53 

been  inserted  in  a  new  window  in  tlie  choir,  and  is  thus 
preserved.  With  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century, 
glass-painting  became  more  frequent  in  Europe,  and  near 
the  end  of  this  century  it  was  introduced  into  England, 
together  with  the  Gothic  style  of  architecture.  Very  soon 
a  highly  decorative  effect  Avas  given  to  glass-painting, 
and  the  designs  upon  many  windows  were  very  much  like 
those  used  in  the  miniatures  of  the  same  time.  The  stained 
glass  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Denis,  near  Paris,  is  very 
important.  It  dates  from  about  1140-1151,  and  was  exe- 
cuted under  the  care  of  the  famous  Abbot  Suger.  He  em- 
ployed both  French  and  German  workmen,  and  decorated 
the  entire  length  of  the  walls  with  painted  windows.  St. 
Denis  was  the  first  French  cathedral  in  the  full  Gothic 
style  of  architecture.  The  present  windows  in  St.  Denis 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  the  original  ones,  as  the  cathedral 
has  suffered  much  from  revolutions  ;  but  some  of  them  have 
been  restored  as  nearly  as  possible,  and  our  illustration  (Fig. 
22)  will  give  you  a  good  idea  of  what  its  windows  were. 

The  stripes  which  run  across  the  ground  in  this  window 
are  red  and  blue,  and  the  leaf  border  is  in  a  light  tone  of 
color.  There  are  nine  medallions  ;  the  three  upper  ones 
have  simply  ornamental  designs  upon  them,  and  the  six 
lower  ones  have  pictures  of  sacred  subjects.  The  one  given 
here  is  an  Annunciation,  in  which  the  Abbot  Suger  kneels 
at  the  feet  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  His  figure  interferes  with 
the  border  of  the  medallion  in  a  very  unusual  manner. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  ancient  glass-painting  re- 
maining in  France  is  that  of  the  west  front  of  the  Cathedral 
of  Chartres.  It  dates  from  about  1125,  when  this  front  was 
begun  ;  there  are  three  windows,  and  their  color  is  far  supe- 
rior to  the  glass  of  a  later  period,  which  is  in  the  same  cathed- 
ral. The  earliest  painted  glass  in  England  dates  from 
about  II 80.  Some  of  the  windows  in  Canterbury  Cathedral 
correspond  to  those  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Denis. 


54  PAINTING. 

In  the  Strasbourg  Cathedral  there  are  some  splendid 
remains  of  painted  glass  of  the  Romanesque  period,  al- 
though they  were  much  injured  by  the  bombardment  of 
1870.  Fig.  23  is  from  one  of  the  west  windows,  and  rep- 
resents King  Henry  I. 

This  is  an  unusually  fine  example  of  the  style  of  the  pe- 
riod before  the  more  elaborate  Gothic  manner  had  arisen  ; 
the  quiet  regularity  of  the  drapery  and  the  dignified  air  of 
the  whole  figure  is  very  impressive. 

An  entirely  different  sort  of  colored  windows  was  used 
in  the  churches  and  edifices  which  belonged  to  the  Cistercian 
order  of  monks.  The  rule  of  this  order  was  severe,  and 
while  they  wished  to  soften  the  light  within  their  churches, 
they  believed  it  to  be  wrong  to  use  anything  which  denoted 
pomp  or  splendor  in  the  decoration  of  the  house  of  God. 
For  these  reasons  they  invented  what  is  called  the  grisaille 
glass  :  it  is  painted  in  regular  patterns  in  gray  tones  of  color. 
Sometimes  these  windows  are  varied  by  a  leaf  pattern  in 
shades  of  green  and  brown,  with  occasional  touches  of  bright 
color  ;  but  this  is  used  very  sparingly.  Some  of  these  ^^r/- 
jTrt///^  windows  are  seen  in  France  ;  but  the  finest  are  in  Ger- 
many in  the  Cathedral  of  Heiligenkreuz  :  they  date  from  the 
first  half  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

THE   FINAL,    OR   GOTHIC   PERIOD. 

The  Gothic  order  of  architecture,  which  was  perfected 
during  this  period,  had  a  decided  influence  upon  the  paint- 
ing and  sculpture  of  the  time  ;  but  this  influence  was  not 
felt  until  Gothic  architecture  had  reached  a  high  point  in  its 
development.  France  was  now  the  leading  country  of  the 
world,  and  Paris  came  to  be  the  most  important  of  all  cities  : 
it  was  the  centre  from  which  went  forth  edicts  as  to  the 
customs  of  society,  the  laws  of  dress  and  conduct,  and  even 
of  the  art  of  love.     From  France  came  the  codes  of  chivalry. 


Fig.  23. — Figure  of  Henry  I.  in  West  Window  of  Stras- 
bourg Cathkural. 


56  PAINTING. 

and  the  crusades,  which  spread  to  other  lands,  originated 
there.  Thus,  for  the  time,  Paris  overshadowed  Rome  and 
the  older  centres  of  art,  industry,  and  science,  with  a  world- 
wide influence. 

Although  the  painting  of  this  period  had  largely  the 
same  characteristics  as  that  of  the  Romanesque  period,  it 
had  a  different  spirit,  and  it  was  no  longer  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  clergy.  Before  this  time,  too,  painters  had  fre- 
quently been  skilled  in  other  arts  ;  now  it  became  the  cus- 
tom for  them  to  be  painters  only,  and  besides  this  they 
were  divided  into  certain  classes  of  painters,  and  were  then 
associated  with  other  craftsmen  who  were  engaged  in  the 
trade  which  was  connected  with  their  art.  That  is,  the 
glass-painters  painted  glass  only,  and  were  associated  with 
the  glass-blowers  ;  those  who  decorated  shields,  with  the 
shield  or  scutcheon  makers,  and  so  on  ;  while  the  painters, 
pure  and  simple,  worked  at  wall-painting,  and  a  little  later 
at  panel-painting  also.  From  this  association  of  artists  and 
tradesmen  there  grew  up  brotherhoods  which  supported 
their  members  in  all  difficulties,  and  stood  by  each  other  like 
friends.  Each  brotherhood  had  its  altar  in  some  church  ; 
they  had  their  funerals  and  festivals  in  common,  and  from 
these  brotherhoods  grew  up  the  more  powerful  societies 
which  were  called  guilds.  These  guilds  became  powerful 
organizations  ;  they  had  definite  rights  and  duties,  and  even 
judicial  authority  as  to  such  matters  as  belonged  to  their 
special  trades. 

All  this  led  to  much  greater  individuality  among  artists 
than  had  ever  existed  before  :  it  came  to  be  understood 
that  a  painter  could,  and  had  a  right  to,  paint  a  picture  as 
he  wished,  and  was  not  governed  by  any  j^riestly  law.  Re- 
ligious subjects  were  still  painted  more  frequently  than 
others,  and  the  decoration  of  religious  edifices  was  the  chief 
employment  of  the  artists  ;  but  they  worked  with  more 
independence   of  thought  and  spirit.     The  painters  studied 


Fig.  24. — Birth  of  the  Virgin.     From  the  Grandes  Heures  of  the  Due  de  Berri. 


58  PAINTING. 

more  from  nature,  and  though  the  change  v/as  very  slow, 
it  is  still  true  that  a  certain  softness  of  effect,  an  easy  flow 
of  drapery,  and  a  new  grace  of  pose  did  appear,  and  about 
A.D.  1350  a  new  idea  of  the  uses  and  aims  of  painting  in- 
fluenced artists  everywhere. 

About  that  time  they  attempted  to  represent  distances, 
and  to  create  different  planes  in  their  works  ;  to  reproduce 
such  things  as  they  represented  far  more  exactly  than  they 
had  done  before,  and  to  put  them  in  just  relations  to  sur- 
rounding places  and  objects  ;  in  a  word,  they  seemed  to 
awake  to  an  appreciation  of  the  true  ofifice  of  painting  and 
to  its  infinite  possibilities. 

During  this  Gothic  period  some  of  the  most  exquisite 
manuscripts  were  made  in  France  and  Germany,  and  they 
are  now  the  choicest  treasures  of  their  kind  in  various 
European  collections. 

Fig.  24,  of  the  birth  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  is  from  one 
of  the  most  splendid  books  of  the  time  which  was  painted 
for  the  Duke  de  Berry  and  called  the  Great  Book  of  the 
Hours.  The  wealth  of  ornament  in  the  border  is  a  char- 
acteristic of  the  French  miniatures  of  the  time.  The  Ger- 
mans used  a  simpler  style,  as  you  will  see  by  Fig.  25,  of 
the  Annunciation. 

The  influence  of  the  Gothic  order  of  architecture  upon 
glass-painting  was  very  pronounced.  Under  this  order  the 
windows  became  much  more  important  than  they  had  been, 
and  it  was  not  unusual  to  see  a  series  of  windows  painted  in 
such  pictures  as  illustrated  the  whole  teaching  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  church.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  custom 
arose  of  donating  memorial  windows  to  religious  edifices. 
Sometimes  they  were  the  gift  of  a  person  or  a  famil\-,  and 
the  portraits  of  the  donors  were  painted  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  window,  and  usually  in  a  kneeling  posture  ;  at  other 
times  windows  were  given  by  guilds,  and  it  is  very  odd  to 
see  craftsmen  of  various  sorts  at  work  in  a  cathedral  win- 


MEDI.i;VAL    PAINTING. 


59 


dow  :   sucli  pictures  exist  at  Chartres,  IJourges,  Amiens,  and 
other  places. 

About  A.D.  1300  it  began  to  be  the  custom  to  repre- 
sent architectural  effects  upon  colored  windows.     Our  cut  is 


illillllllWIIIillllWIi 

1  lu  25  —The  Annunciation.    Fiom  the  Martale  of  Archbf^hop 
Arnestus  of  Prague. 

from  a  window  at  Konigsfelden,  and  will  show  exactly  what 
I  mean  (Fig.  26.) 

This  style  of  decoration  was  not  as  effective  as  the  earlier 
ones  had  been,  and,  indeed,  from  about  this  time  glass- 
painting  became  less  satisfactory  than  before,  from  the  fact 


6o 


PAINTING. 


that  it  had  more  resemblance  to  pancl-painting,  and  so  lost 
a  part  of  the  individuality  which  had  belonged  to  it. 

Wall-paintings  were  rare  in  the   Gothic  period,   for  its 
architecture  left  no  good  spaces  where  the  pictures  could  be 


Fig.  26.— I'aintku  Window  at  Konigsfeldkn. 


placed,  and  so  the  interior  painting  of  the  churches  was  al- 
most cntin;ly  confined  to  borders  and  decorative  patterns 
scattered  here  and  there  and  used  with  great  cfifect.  In 
Germany  and  ICngland  wall-painting  was  more  used  for  the 
decoration  of  castles,  halls,  chambers,  and  chai)cls  ;   hut  as  a 


MEDLEVAL   PAINTING. 


6l 


whole  mural  painting  was  of  little  importance  at  this  time  in 
comparison  with  its  earlier  days. 

About  A.D.  1350  panel  pictures  began  to  be  more  nu- 
merous, and  from  this  time  there  are  vague  accounts  of 
schools  of  painting  at  Prague  and  Cologne,  and  a  few  rem- 
nants exist  which  prove  that  such  works  were  executed  in 
France  and  Flanders  ;  but  I  shall  pass  over  what  is  often 
called  the  Transitional  Period,  by  which  we  mean  the  time 


Fig.  27. — Portrait  of  Cimabue. 


in  which  new  influences  were  beginning  to  act,  and  hereafter 
I  will  tell  our  story  by  giving  accounts  of  the  lives  of  sepa- 
rate painters  ;  for  from  about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century  it  is  possible  to  trace  the  history  of  painting  through 
the  study  of  individual  artists. 

Giovanni  Cimap.ue,  the  first  painter  of  whom  I  shall 
tell  you,  was  born  in  Florence  in  1240.  He  is  sometimes 
called  the  "  Father  of  Modern  Painting,"  because  he  was 
the  first  who  restored  that  art  to  any  degree  of  the  beauty 


62  rAINTING. 

to  which  it  had  attained  before  the  Dark  Ages.  The  Cini- 
abui  were  a  noble  family,  and  Giovanni  was  allowed  to 
follow  his  own  taste,  and  became  a  painter  ;  he  was  also 
skilled  in  mosaic  work,  and  during  the  last  years  of  his  life 
held  the  office  of  master  of  the  mosaic  workers  in  the  Cathed- 
ral of  Pisa,  where  some  of  his  own  mosaics  still  remain. 

Of  his  wall-paintings  I  shall  say  nothing  except  to  tell 
you  that  the  finest  are  in  the  Upper  Church  at  Assisi,  where 
one  sees  the  first  step  in  the  development  of  the  art  of  Tus- 
cany. But  I  wish  to  tell  the  story  of  one  of  his  panel  pic- 
tures, which  is  very  interesting.  It  is  now  in  the  Rucellai 
Chapel  of  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  in  Florence, 
and  it  is  only  just  in  me  to  say  that  if  one  of  my  readers 
walked  through  that  church  and  did  not  know  about  this 
picture,  it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  stop  to  look  at  it — cer- 
tainly he  would  not  admire  it.  The  story  is  that  when 
Cimabue  was  about  thirty  years  old  he  was  busy  in  paint- 
ing this  picture  of  the  Madonna  Enthroned,  and  he  would 
not  allow  any  one  to  see  what  he  was  doing. 

It  happened,  however,  that  Charles  of  Anjou,  being  on 
his  way  to  Naples,  stopped  in  Florence,  where  the  nobles 
did  everything  in  their  power  for  his  entertainment.  Among 
other  places  they  took  him  to  the  studio  of  Cimabue,  who 
uncovered  his  picture  for  the  first  time.  INIany  persons 
then  flocked  to  see  it,  and  were  so  loud  in  their  joyful  ex- 
pressions of  admiration  for  it  that  the  part  of  the  city  in 
which  the  studio  was  has  since  been  called  the  Borgo 
Allcgri,  or  the  "  jo)'ous  quarter." 

When  the  picture  was  completed  the  day  was  celebrated 
as  a  festival  ;  a  procession  was  formed  ;  bands  of  music 
played  joyful  airs  ;  the  magistrates  of  Florence  honored  the 
occasion  with  their  presence  ;  and  the  picture  was  borne  in 
triumph  to  the  church.  Cimabue  must  have  been  very 
happy  at  this  great  appreciation  of  his  art,  and  froni  that 
time  he  was  famous  in  all  Italy. 


Fig.  28.— The  Madonna  ok  the  Church  of  Santa  Makia  Novella. 


64  PAIxNTING, 

Another  madonna  by  this  master  is  in  the  Academy  of 
Florence,  and  one  attributed  to  him  is  in  the  Louvre,  in 
Paris. 

Cimabue  died  about  1302,  and  was  buried  in  the  Church 
of  Santa  Maria  del  Fiore,  or  the  Cathedral  of  Florence. 
Above  his  tomb  these  words  were  inscribed  :  "  Cimabue 
thought  himself  master  of  the  field  of  painting.  While  liv- 
ing, he  was  so.  Now  he  holds  his  place  among  the  stars 
of  heaven." 

Other  artists  who  were  important  in  this  early  time  of 
the  revival  of  painting  were  AXDREA  Tafi,  a  mosaist  of 
Florence,  Margaritone  of  Arezzo,  Guido  of  Siena, 
and  of  the  same  city  DUCCIO,  the  son  of  Buoninsegna. 
This  last  painter  flourished  from  1282  to  1320;  his  altar- 
piece  for  the  Cathedral  of  Siena  was  also  carried  to  its 
place  in  solemn  procession,  with  the  sound  of  trumpet, 
drum,  and  bell. 

Giotto  di  Bondone  was  the  next  artist  in  whom  we 
have  an  unusual  interest.  He  was  born  at  Del  Colle,  in  the 
commune  of  Vespignano,  probably  about  1266,  though  the 
date  is  usually  given  ten  years  later.  One  of  the  best 
reasons  for  calling  Cimabue  the  "  Father  of  Painting  "  is 
that  he  acted  the  part  of  a  father  to  Giotto,  who  proved  to 
be  so  great  an  artist  that  from  his  time  painting  made  a 
rapid  advance.  The  story  is  that  one  day  when  Cimabue 
rode  in  the  valley  of  Vespignano  he  saw  a  shcphcrd-boy 
who  was  drawing  a  portrait  of  one  of  his  sheep  on  a  flat 
rock,  by  means  of  a  pointed  bit  of  slate  for  a  pencil.  The 
sketch  was  so  good  that  Cimabue  offered  to  take  the  boy 
to  Florence,  and  teach  him  to  paint.  The  boy's  fithcr  con- 
sented, and  henceforth  the  little  Giotto  lived  with  Cimabue, 
who  instructed  him  in  painting,  and  put  him  to  study  letters 
under  Brunetto  Latini,  who  was  also  the  teacher  of  the 
great  poet,  Dante. 

The  picture  which  we  give  here  is  from  the  earliest  work 


•jwr^cv*^"*' 


^^M;mM.^Mm^:^sc&^£^:z.  -  ■•■  ■  :i 


Fig.  29— Portrait  of  Dante,  painted  by  Giotto. 

5 


66  PAINTING. 

by  Giotto  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge.  In  it  were 
the  portraits  of  Dante,  Latini,  and  several  others.  This 
picture  was  painted  on  a  wall  of  the  Podesta  at  Florence, 
and  when  Dante  was  exiled  from  that  city  his  portrait  was 
covered  with  whitewash;  in  1841  it  was  restored  to  the 
light,  having  been  hidden  for  centuries.  It  is  a  precious 
memento  of  the  friendship  between  the  great  artist  and  the 
divine  poet,  who  expressed  his  admiration  of  Giotto  in 
these  lines  :  — 

"  In  painting  Cimabue  fain  had  thought 

To  lord  the  field  ;  now  Giotto  has  the  cry, 
So  that  the  other's  fame  in  shade  is  brought." 

Giotto  did  much  work  in  Florence;  he  also,  about  1300, 
executed  frescoes  in  the  Lower  Church  at  Assisi ;  from 
^303-1306  he  painted  his  beautiful  pictures  in  the  Cappella 
deir  Arena,  at  Padua,  by  which  the  genius  of  Giotto  is  now 
most  fully  shown.  He  worked  at  Rimini  also,  and  about 
1330  was  employed  by  King  Robert  of  Naples,  who  con- 
ferred many  honors  upon  him,  and  made  him  a  member  of 
his  own  household.  In  1334  Giotto  was  made  the  chief 
master  of  the  cathedral  works  in  Florence,  as  well  as  of  the 
city  fortifications  and  all  architectural  undertakings  by  the 
city  authorities.  He  held  this  high  position  but  three 
years,  as  he  died  on  January  8,  1337. 

Giotto  was  also  a  great  architect,  as  is  well  known  from 
his  tower  in  Florence,  for  which  he  made  all  the  designs 
and  a  part  of  the  working  models,  while  some  of  the  sculp- 
tures and  reliefs  upon  it  prove  that  he  was  skilled  in  model- 
ing and  carving.  He  worked  in  mosaics  also,  and  the 
famous  "  Navicella,"  in  the  vestibule  of  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome,  was  originally  made  by  him,  but  has  now  been  so 
much  restored  that  it  is  doubtful  if  any  part  of  what  remains 
was  done  by  Giotto's  hands. 

The    works   of  Giotto    arc  too    numerous   to  be    men- 


»;!:';':'I''VriH';l'''' 


68  PAINTING. 

tioned  here,  and  his  merits  as  an  artist  too  important  to  be 
discussed  in  our  Hmits  ;  but  his  advance  in  painting  was  so 
great  that  he  deserved  the  great  compHment  of  Cennino, 
who  said  that  Giotto  "had  done  or  translated  the  art  of 
painting  from  Greek  into  Latin." 

I  shall,  however,  tell  you  of  one  excellent  thing  that  he 
did,  which  was  to  make  the  representation  of  the  crucifix 
far  more  refined  and  Christ-like  than  it  had  ever  been. 
Before  his  time  every  effort  had  been  made  to  picture 
physical  agony  alone,  Giotto  gave  a  gentle  face,  full  of  suf- 
fering, it  is  true,  but  also  expressive  of  tenderness  and 
resignation,  and  it  would  not  be  easy  to  paint  a  better 
crucifix  than  those  of  this  master. 

In  person  Giotto  was  so  ugly  that  his  admirers  made 
jokes  about  it  ;  but  he  was  witty  and  attractive  in  conver- 
sation, and  so  modest  that  his  friends  were  always  glad  to 
praise  him  while  he  lived,  and  since  his  death  his  fame  has 
been  cherished  by  all  who  have  written  of  him.  There  are 
many  anecdotes  told  of  Giotto.  One  is  that  on  a  very  hot 
day  in  Naples,  King  Robert  said  to  the  painter,  "  Giotto,  if 
I  were  you,  I  would  leave  work,  and  rest."  Giotto  quickly 
replied,  "  So  would  I,  sire,  if  I  zvcre yoiiy 

When  the  same  king  asked  him  to  paint  a  picture  which 
would  represent  his  kingdom,  Giotto  drew  an  ass  bearing  a 
saddle  on  which  were  a  crown  and  sceptre,  while  at  the 
feet  of  the  ass  there  was  a  new  saddle  with  a  shining  new 
crown  and  sceptre,  at  which  the  ass  was  eagerly  smelling. 
By  this  he  intended  to  show  that  the  Neapolitans  were  so 
fickle  that  they  were  always  looking  for  a  new  king. 

There  is  a  story  which  has  been  often  repeated  which 
says,  that  in  order  to  paint  his  crucifixes  so  well,  he  per- 
suaded a  man  to  be  bound  to  a  cross  for  an  hour  as  a 
model  ;  and  when  he  had  him  there  he  stabbed  liini,  in 
order  to  see  such  agony  as  he  wished  to  paint.  When  the 
Pope  saw  the   picture  he  was    so   pleased   with   it  that  he 


MEDI.tVAL   PAINTING.  69 

wished  to  nave  it  for  his  own  chapel  ;  then  Giotto  confessed 
what  he  had  done,  and  showed  the  body  of  the  dead  man. 
The  Pope  was  so  angry  that  he  threatened  the  painter  with 
the  same  death,  upon  which  Giotto  bruslicd  the  picture 
over  so  that  it  seemed  to  be  destroyed.  Then  the  Pope  so 
regretted  the  loss  of  the  crucifix  that  he  promised  to  pardon 
Giotto  if  he  would  paint  him  another  as  good.  Giotto  ex- 
acted the  promise  in  writing,  and  then,  with  a  wet  sponge, 
removed  the  wash  he  had  used,  and  the  picture  was  as 
good  as  before.  According  to  tradition  all  famous  cruci- 
fixes were  drawn  from  this  picture  ever  after. 

When  Boniface  VIII.  sent  a  messenger  to  invite  Giotto 
to  Rome,  the  messenger  asked  Giotto  to  show  him  some- 
thing of  the  art  which  had  made  him  so  famous.  Giotto, 
with  a  pencil,  by  a  single  motion  drew  so  perfect  a  circle 
that  it  was  thought  to  be  a  miracle,  and  this  gave  rise  to  a 
proverb  still  much  used  in  Italy  : — Pin  tondo  die  10  di 
Giotto,  or,  "  Rounder  than  the  O  of  Giotto." 

Giotto  had  a  wife  and  eight  children,  of  whom  nothing  is 
known  but  that  his  son  Francesco  became  a  painter.  Giotto 
died  in  1337,  and  was  buried  with  great  honors  in  the 
Church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Fiore.  Lorenzo  de  Medici 
erected  a  monument  to  his  memory.  The  pupils  and  fol- 
lowers of  Giotto  were  very  numerous,  and  were  called 
Giotteschi  ;  among  these  Taddeo  Gaddi,  and  his  son  Ad- 
NOLO,  are  most  famous  :  others  were  Maso  and  Bernardo 
Dl  Daddo  ;  but  I  shall  not  speak  in  detail  of  these  artists. 

While  Giotto  was  making  the  art  of  Florence  famous, 
there  was  an  artist  in  Siena  who  raised  the  school  of  that 
city  to  a  place  of  great  honor.  This  was  SiMONE  MAR- 
TINI, who  lived  from  1283  to  1344,  and  is  often  called 
SiMONE  Memmi  because  he  married  a  sister  of  another 
painter,  LlPPO  Memmi.  The  most  important  works  of 
Simone  which  remain  are  at  Siena  in  the  Palazzo  Pubblico 
and  in  the  Lower  Church  at  Assisi.     There  is  one  beautiful 


70  PAINTING. 

work  of  his  in  the  Royal  Institution,  at  Liverpool,  which 
illustrates  the  text,  "  Behold,  thy  father  and  I  have  sought 
Thee,  sorrowing." 

While  the  Papal  court  was  at  Avignon,  in  1338,  Simone 
removed  to  that  city.  Here  he  became  the  friend  of  Pe- 
trarch and  of  Laura,  and  has  been  praised  by  this  poet  as 
Giotto  was  by  Dante. 

Another  eminent  Florentine  artist  was  Andrea  Or- 
CAGNA,  as  he  is  called,  though  his  real  name  was  ANDREA 
ArcagnuOLO  DI  Cione.  He  was  born  about  1329,  and 
died  about  1368.  It  has  long  been  the  custom  to  attribute 
to  Orcagna  some  of  the  most  important  frescoes  in  the 
Campo  Santo  at  Pisa  ;  but  it  is  so  doubtful  whether  he 
worked  there  that  I  shall  not  speak  of  them.  His  father 
w^as  a  goldsmith,  and  Orcagna  first  studied  his  father's 
craft  ;  he  was  also  an  architect,  sculptor,  mosaist,  and  poet, 
as  well  as  a  painter.  He  made  an  advance  in  color  and  in 
the  painting  of  atmosphere  that  gives  him  high  rank  as  a 
painter  ;  as  a  sculptor,  his  tabernacle  in  the  Church  of  Or 
San  Michele  speaks  his  praise.  Mr.  C.  C.  Perkins  thus  de- 
scribes it  :  "  Built  of  white  marble  in  the  Gothic  style,  en- 
riched with  every  kind  of  ornament,  and  storied  with  bas- 
reliefs  illustrative  of  the  Madonna's  history  from  her  birtli 
to  her  death,  it  rises  in  stately  beauty  toward  the  roof  of 
the  church,  and,  whether  considered  from  an  architectural, 
sculptural,  or  symbolic  point  of  view,  must  excite  the 
warmest  admiration  in  all  who  can  appreciate  the  perfect 
unity  of  conception  through  which  its  bas-reliefs,  statuettes, 
busts,  intaglios,  mosaics,  and  incrustations  of  pietrc  dure, 
gilded  glass,  and  enamels  are  welded  into  a  unique  whole." 

But  perhaps  it  is  as  an  architect  that  Orcagna  is  most 
interesting  to  us,  for  he  it  was  who  made  the  designs  for  the 
Loggia  dc  Lanzi  in  Florence.  This  was  built  as  a  place  for 
public  assembly,  and  the  discussion  of  the  topics  of  the  day 
in  rainy  weather  ;  it   received   its  name   on  account  of  its 


MEDIyEVAL   PAINTING.  7 1 

nearness  to  the  German  guard-house  which  was  called  that 
of  the  Landsknechts  (in  German),  or  Lanzi,  as  it  was  given 
in  Italian.  Orcagna  probably  died  before  the  Loggia  was 
completed,  and  his  brother  Bernardo  succeeded  him  as  archi- 
tect of  the  commune.  This  Loggia  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting places  in  Florence,  fully  in  sight  of  the  Palazzo 
Signoria,  near  the  gallery  of  the  Uffizi,  and  itself  the  store- 
house of  precious  works  of  sculpture. 

There  were  also  in  these  early  days  of  the  fourteenth 
century  schools  of  art  at  Bologna  and  Modena ;  but  we  know 
so  little  of  them  in  detail  that  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give 
any  account  of  them  here,  but  will  pass  to  the  early  artists 
who  may  be  said  to  belong  to  the  true  Renaissance  in  Italy. 


CHAPTER   III. 


PAINTING    IN    ITALY,    FROM   THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   RE- 
NAISSANCE  TO   THE   PRESENT   CENTURY. 

THE  reawakening  of  Art  in  Italy  which  followed  the  dark- 
ness of  the  Middle  Ages,  dates  from  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifteenth  century  and  is  called  the  Renaissance. 
The  Italians  have  a  method  of  reckoning  the  centuries  which 
differs  from  ours.  Thus  we  call  1 800  the  first  year  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  but  they  call  it  the  first  of  the  eigh- 
teenth ;  so  the  painters  of  what  was  to  us  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury are  called  by  Italians  the  "  quattrocentisti,''  or  men  of 
the  fourteenth  century,  and  while  to  us  the  term  "  cinque- 
cento  "  means  the  style  of  the  sixteenth  ccntur}',  to  the 
Italians  the  same  century,  which  begins  with  1500,  is  the 
fifteenth  century. 

I  shall  use  our  own  method  of  reckoning  in  my  writing ; 
but  this  fact  should  be  known  to  all  who  read  or  study  art. 

The  first  painter  of  whom  I  shall  now  speak  is  known  to 
us  as  Fra  Angelico.  His  name  was  Guido,  the  son  of 
Pietro,  and  he  was  born  at  Vicchio  in  the  province  of  Mu- 
gello,  in  the  year  1387.  We  know  that  his  family  was  in 
such  circumstances  that  the  young  Guido  could  have  led  a 
life  of  ease  ;  but  he  early  determined  to  become  a  preach- 
ing friar.  Meantime,  even  as  a  boy,  he  showed  his  taste 
for  art,  and  there  are  six  years  in  his  life,  from  the  age  of 
fourteen  to  twenty,  of  which  no   one  can  tell   the  story. 


PAINTING   IN   ITALY.  73 

However,  from  what  followed  it  is  plain  that  during  this 
time  he  must  somewhere  Have  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  painting  and  to  preparation  for  his  life  as  a  monk. 

Before  he  was  fully  twenty  years  old,  he  entered  the 
convent  at  Fiesole,  and  took  the  name  of  Fra,  or  Brother 
Giovanni ;  soon  after,  his  elder  brother  joined  him  there,  and 
became  Fra  Benedetto.  Later  on  our  artist  was  called  Fra 
Angelico,  and  again  //  Beato  Angelica,  and  then,  according 
to  Italian  custom,  the  name  of  the  town  from  which  he  came 
was  added,  so  that  he  was  at  last  called  II  Beato  Giova?ini, 
dctto  Angelico,  da  Fiesole,  which  means,  "  The  Blessed  John, 
called  the  Angelic,  of  Fiesole."  The  title  II  Beato  is  usu- 
ally conferred  by  the  church,  but  it  was  given  to  Fra  An- 
gelico by  the  people,  because  of  his  saintly  character  and 
works. 

It  was  in  1407  that  Fra  Angelico  was  admitted  to  the 
convent  in  Fiesole,  and  after  seven  years  of  peaceful  life 
there  he  was  obliged  to  flee  with  his  companions  to  Foligno, 
It  was  at  the  time  when  three  different  popes  claimed  the 
authority  over  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  the  city  of  Flor- 
ence declared  itself  in  favor  of  Alexander  V. ;  but  the  monks 
of  Fiesole  adhered  to  Gregory  XII.,  and  for  this  reason 
were  driven  from  their  convent.  Six  years  they  dwelt  at 
Foligno  ;  then  the  plague  broke  out  in  the  country  about 
them,  and  again  they  fled  to  Cortona.  Pictures  painted  by 
Fra  Angelico  at  this  time  still  remain  in  the  churches  of 
Cortona. 

After  an  absence  of  ten  years  the  monks  returned  to 
Fiesole,  where  our  artist  passed  the  next  eighteen  years. 
This  was  the  richest  period  of  his  life  :  his  energy  was  un- 
tiring, and  his  zeal  both  as  an  artist  and  as  a  priest  burned 
with  a  steady  fire.  His  works  were  sought  for  far  and  wide, 
and  most  of  his  easel-pictures  were  painted  during  this  time. 
Fra  Angelico  would  never  accept  the  money  which  was  paid 
for  his  work  ;  it  was  given  into  the  treasury  of  his  convent  ; 


Fig.  31- — Fra  Angemco.     From  the  representation  of  him  in  the  fresco  of  the 
" Last  Judgment^"  by  Fra  Bartolommeo,  in  Santa  Maria  iVuova,  Florence. 


PAINTING   IN    ITALY.  75 

neither  did  he  accept  any  commission  without  the  consent 
of  the  prior.  Naturally,  the  monk-artist  executed  works 
for  the  adornment  of  his  own  convent.  Some  of  these  have 
been  sold  and  carried  to  other  cities  and  countries,  and 
those  which  remain  have  been  too  much  injured  and  too 
much  restored  to  be  considered  important  now. 

He  painted  so  many  pictures  during  this  second  resi- 
dence at  Fiesolc,  not  only  for  public  places,  but  for  private 
citizens,  that  Vasari  wrote  :  "  This  Father  painted  so 
many  pictures,  which  are  dispersed  throui^di  the  houses  of 
the  Florentines,  that  sometimes  I  am  lost  in  wonder  when  I 
think  how  works  so  good  and  so  many  could,  though  in 
the  course  of  many  years,  have  been  brought  to  perfection 
by  one  man  alone." 

In  1436  the  great  Cosimo  de  Medici  insisted  that  the 
monks  of  Fiesole  should  again  leave  their  convent,  and  re- 
move to  that  of  San  Marco,  in  Florence.  Most  unwillingly 
the  brethren  submitted,  and  immediately  Cosimo  set  archi- 
tects and  builders  to  work  to  erect  a  new  convent,  for  the 
old  one  was  in  a  ruinous  state.  The  new  cloisters  ofifcred  a 
noble  field  to  the  genius  of  Fra  Angelico,  and  he  labored 
for  their  decoration  with  his  whole  soul  ;  though  the  rule 
of  the  order  was  so  strict  that  the  pictures  in  the  cells  could 
be  seen  only  by  the  monks,  he  put  all  his  skill  into  them, 
and  labored  as  devotedly  as  if  the  whole  world  could  see 
and  praise  them,  as  indeed  has  since  been  done.  His  pic- 
tures in  this  convent  are  so  numerous  that  we  must  not  de- 
scribe them,  but  will  say  that  the  Crucifixion  in  the  chap- 
ter-room is  usually  called  his  masterpiece.  It  is  nearly 
twenty-five  feet  square,  and,  besides  the  usual  figures  in  this 
subject,  the  Saviour  and  the  thieves,  with  the  executioners, 
there  are  holy  women,  the  founders  of  various  orders,  the 
patrons  of  the  convent,  and  companies  of  saints.  In  the 
frame  there  are  medallions  with  several  saints  and  a  Sibyl, 
each  bearing  an  inscription  from  the  prophecies  relating  to 


"J^  PAINTING. 

Christ's  death  ;  while  below  all,  St.  Dominic,  the  founder 
of  the  artist's  order,  bears  a  genealogical  tree  with  many 
portraits  of  those  who  had  been  eminent  among  his  fol- 
lowers. For  this  reason  this  picture  has  great  historic 
value. 

At  last,  in  I445,  Pope  Eugenius  IV.,  who  had  dedicated 
the  new  convent  of  San  Marco  and  seen  the  works  of  An- 
gelico,  summoned  him  to  Rome.  It  is  said  that  the  Pope 
not  only  wished  for  some  of  his  paintings,  but  he  also  de- 
sired to  honor  Angelico  b)''  giving  him  the  archbishopric  of 
Florence  ;  but  Avhen  this  high  position  was  offered  him, 
Fra  Angelico  would  not  accept  of  it  :  he  declared  himself 
unequal  to  its  duties,  and  begged  the  Pope  to  appoint  Fra 
Antonino  in  his  stead.  This  request  was  granted,  and  An- 
gelico went  on  with  his  work  as  before,  in  all  humility  ful- 
filling his  heaven-born  mission  to  lead  men  to  better  lives 
through  the  sweet  influence  of  his  divine  art. 

The  honor  which  had  been  tendered  him  was  great — 
one  which  the  noblest  men  were  striving  for—but  if  he 
realized  this  he  did  not  regret  his  decision,  neither  was  he 
made  bold  or  vain  by  the  royal  tribute  which  the  Pope  had 
paid  him. 

From  this  time  the  most  important  works  of  Fra  An- 
gelico were  done  in  the  chapel  of  Pope  Nicholas  V.,  in  the 
Vatican,  and  in  the  chapel  which  he  decorated  in  the  Cathed- 
ral of  Orvicto.  He  worked  there  one  summer,  and  the 
work  was  continued  by  Luca  Signorclli.  The  remainder  of 
his  life  was  passed  so  quietly  that  little  can  be  told  of  it. 
It  is  not  even  known  with  certainty  whether  he  ever  re- 
turned to  Florence,  and  by  some  strange  fate  the  key  to 
the  chapel  which  he  painted  in  the  Vatican  was  lost  during 
two  centuries,  and  the  pictures  could  only  be  seen  by  en- 
tering through  a  window.  Thus  it  would  seem  that  his 
last  years  were  passed  in  the  quiet  work  which  he  best  loved. 

When  his  final  illness  was  upon  him,  the   brethren  of 


71   'f 


'^.^ 


M^ 


'-ia5> 


Fig.  32. — An  Angel.     /«  /A^  UJlzi,  Florence.     By  Fra  Angelico. 


78  PAiNTiX'^;. 

Santa  Maria  Sopra  Minerva,  where  he  resided,  gathered 
about  him,  and  chanted  the  Salve  Rcgina.  He  died  on  the 
1 8th  of  February,  1455,  when  sixty-seven  years  old.  His 
tombstone  is  in  the  church  of  Santa  Maria  Sopra  Minerva, 
in  Rome  ;  on  it  hes  the  figure  of  a  Dominican  monk  in  mar- 
ble. Pope  Nicholas  V.  wrote  his  epitaph  in  Latin.  The 
following  translation  is  by  Professor  Norton  : 

"  Not  mine  be  the  praise  that  I  was  a  second  Apelles, 
But  that  I  gave  all  my  gains  to  thine,  O  Christ  ! 
One  work  is  for  the  earth,  another  for  heaven. 
The  city,  the  Flower  of  Tuscany,  bore  me — John." 

In  the  Convent  of  San  Marco  in  Florence  there  are 
twenty-five  pictures  by  this  master;  in  the  Academy  of 
Florence  there  are  about  sixty  ;  there  are  eleven  in  the 
chapel  of  Nicholas  V.,  and  still  others  in  the  Vatican  gallery. 
The  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella,  Florence,  the  Cathed- 
ral of  Orvieto,  the  Church  of  St.  Domenico  in  Perugia, 
and  that  of  Cortona,  are  all  rich  in  his  works.  Besides 
these  a  few  exist  in  some  of  the  principal  European  gal- 
leries ;  but  I  love  best  to  see  them  in  San  Marco,  where  he 
painted  them  for  his  brethren,  and  where  they  seem  most 
at  home. 

The  chief  merit  of  the  pictures  of  Fra  Angelico  is  the 
sweet  and  tender  expression  of  the  faces  of  his  angels  and 
saints,  or  any  beings  who  are  holy  and  good  ;  he  never  suc- 
ceeded in  painting  evil  and  sin  in  such  a  way  as  to  terrify 
one  ;  his  gentle  nature  did  not  permit  him  to  represent  that 
which  it  could  not  comprehend,  and  the  very  spirit  of 
purity  seems  to  breathe  through  every  picture. 

Two  other  Florentine  artists  of  the  same  era  with  Fra 
Angelico  were  Masolino,  whose  real  name  was  Panicale, 
and  ToMMASO  GuiDi,  called  Masaccio  on  account  of  his 
want  of  neatness.  The  style  of  these  two  masters  was 
much  the  same,  but  Masaccio  became  so  much  the  greater 


PAINTING   IN    ITALY.  79 

that  little  is  said  of  Masolino.  The  principal  works  of  Ma- 
saccio  are  a  series  of  frescoes  in  the  Brancacci  Chapel  in 
Florence.  They  represent  "The  Expulsion  from  Para- 
dise," "The  Tribute  Money,"  "Peter  Baptizing,"  "Peter 
Curing  the  Blind  and  Lame,"  "The  Death  of  Ananias," 
"Simon  Magus,"  and  the  "Resuscitation  of  the  King's 
Son."  There  is  a  fresco  by  Masolino  in  the  same  chapel ; 
it  is  "The  Preaching  of  Peter."  Masaccio  was  in  fact  a 
remarkable  painter.  Some  one  has  said  that  he  seemed  to 
hold  Giotto  by  one  hand  and  reach  forward  to  Raphael 
with  the  other ;  and  considering  the  pictures  which  were 
painted  before  his  time,  his  works  are  as  wonderful  as 
Raphael's  are  beautiful.     He  died  in  1429. 

Paolo  Uccello  (i 396-1479)  and  P^ilippo  Lippi  (1412- 
1469)  were  also  good  painters,  and  Sandro  Botticelli 
(1447-15 1 5),  a  pupil  of  Filippo,  was  called  the  best  Floren- 
tine painter  of  his  time.  FiLLlPINO  LiPPi  (1460-1505) 
was  a  pupil  of  Botticelli  and  a  very  important  artist.  AN- 
DREA Verrocchio,  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  and  Antonio 
POLLAJUOLO  were  all  good  painters  of  the  Florentine  school 
of  the  last  half  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Of  the  same  period  was  DOMENICO  Ghirlandajo  (1449- 
1494),  who  ranks  very  high  on  account  of  his  skill  in  the 
composition  of  his  works  and  as  a  colorist.  He  made  his 
pictures  very  interesting  also  to  those  of  his  own  time,  and 
to  those  of  later  days,  by  introducing  portraits  of  certain 
citizens  of  Florence  into  pictures  which  he  painted  in  the 
Church  of  Santa  Maria  Novella  and  other  public  places  in 
the  city.  He  did  not  usually  make  them  actors  in  the  scene 
he  represented,  but  placed  them  in  detached  groups  as  if 
they  were  looking  at  the  picture  themselves.  While  his 
scenes  were  laid  in  the  streets  known  to  us,  and  his  architec- 
ture was  familiar,  he  did  not  run  into  the  fantastic  or  lose 
the  picturesque  effect  which  is  always  pleasing.  Without 
being  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Italian  masters  Ghirlandajo 


80  PAINTING. 

was  a  very  important  painter.    He  was  also  a  teacher  of  the 
great  Michael  Angelo. 

Other  prominent  Florentine  painters  of  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  century  were  FRANCISCO  Granacci  (1477-1543), 
LUCA   SiGNORELLI  (144I-1521),  BeNOZZO  GOZZOLI   (14^4- 

1485),  and  Cosmo  RossELLi  (1439-1506). 

Some  good  painters  worked  in  Venice  from  the  last  half 
of  the  fourteenth  century  ;  but  I  shall  begin  to  speak  of  the 
Venetian  school  with  some  account  of  the  Bellini.  The 
father  of  this  family  was  Jacopo  Bellini  (1395-1470).  and 
his  sons  were  Gentile  Bellini  (1421-1507)  and  GIOVANNI 
Bellini  (1426-15 16). 

The  sketch-book  of  the  father  is  one  of  the  treasures  of 
the  British  Museum.  It  has  99  pages,  17  by  13  inches  in 
size,  and  contains  sketches  of  almost  everything — still  and 
animal  life,  nature,  ancient  sculpture,  buildings  and  human 
figures,  stories  of  the  Scriptures,  of  mythology,  and  9{  the 
lives  of  the  saints  are  all  illustrated  in  its  sketches,  as  well  as 
hawking  parties,  village  scenes,  apes,  eagles,  dogs,  and  cats. 
In  this  book  the  excellence  of  his  drawing  is  seen  ;  but  so 
few  of  his  works  remain  that  we  cannot  judge  of  him  as  a 
colorist.  It  is  certain  that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  Venetian  school,  which  his  son  Giovanni  and 
the  great  Titian  carried  to  perfection. 

The  elder  son.  Gentile,  Avas  a  good  artist,  and  gained 
such  a  reputation  by  his  pictures  in  the  great  council-cham- 
ber of  Venice,  that  when,  in  1479,  Sultan  Mchcmct,  the 
conqueror  of  Constantinople,  sent  to  Venice  for  a  good 
painter,  the  Doge  sent  to  him  Gentile  Bellini.  With  him 
he  sent  two  assistants,  and  gave  him  honorable  conduct  in 
galleys  belonging  to  the  State.  In  Constantinople  Gentile 
was  much  honored,  and  he  painted  the  portraits  of  many  re- 
markable people.  At  length  it  happened  that  when  he  had 
finished  a  picture  of  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist  in  a 
charger,  and  showed  it  to  the  Sultan,  that  ruler  said  that  the 


PAINTING   IN   ITALY. 


8l 


neck  was  not  well  painted,  and  when  he  saw  that  Gentile 
did  not  agree  with  him  he  called  a  slave  and  had  his  head 
instantly  struck  off,  to  prove  to  the  artist  what  would  be  the 
true  action  of  the  muscles  under  such  circumstances.  This 
act  made  Gentile  unwilling  to  remain  near  the  Sultan,  and 
after  a  year  in  his  service  he  returned  home.  Mehemet,  at 
parting,  gave  him  many  gifts,  and  begged  him  to  ask  for 
whatever  would  best  please  him. 
Gentile  asked  but  for  a  letter  of 
praise  to  the  Doge  and  Signoria 
of  Venice.  After  his  return  to 
Venice  lie  worked  much  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother.  It  is  said 
that  Titian  studied  with  Gentile  : 
it  is  certain  that  he  was  always 
occupied  with  important  commis- 
sions, and  worked  until  the  day 
of  his  death,  when  he  was  more 
than  eighty  years  old. 

But  Giovanni  Bellini  was  the 
greatest  of  his  family,  and  must 
stand  as  the  founder  of  true  Vene- 
tian painting.  His  works  may  be 
divided  into  two  periods,  those 
that  were  done  before,  and  those 
after  he  learned  the  use  of  oil  colors. 
His  masterpieces,  which  can  still 
be  seen  in  the  Academy  and  the  churches  of  Venice,  were 
painted  after  he  was  sixty-five  years  old.  The  works  of 
Giovanni  Bellini  are  numerous  in  Venice,  and  are  also  seen 
in  the  principal  galleries  of  Europe.  He  did  not  paint  a  great 
variety  of  subjects,  neither  was  his  imagination  very  poeti- 
cal, but  there  was  a  moral  beauty  in  his  figures  ;  he  seems 
to  have  made  humanity  as  elevated  as  it  can  be,  and  to  have 
stopped  just  on  the  line  which  separates  earthly  excellence 


Fig.  33.— Christ.     By  Gio. 
Bellini. 


82  PAINTING. 

from  the  heavenly.  He  often  painted  the  single  figure  of 
Christ,  of  which  Liibke  says  :  "  By  grand  nobleness  of  ex- 
pression, solemn  bearing,  and  an  excellent  arrangement  of 
the  drapery,  he  reached  a  dignity  which  has  rarely  been 
surpassed."  Near  the  close  of  his  life  he  painted  a  few  sub- 
jects which  represent  gay  and  festive  scenes,  and  are  more 
youthful  in  spirit  than  the  works  of  his  earlier  years.  The 
two  brothers  were  buried  side  by  side  in  the  Church  of  SS. 
Giovanni  e  Paolo,  in  Venice. 

There  were  also  good  painters  in  Padua,  Ferrara,  and 
Verona  in  the  fifteenth  century. 

Andrea  Mantegna,  of  Padua  (1430- 1506),  was  a  very 
important  artist.  He  spent  the  best  part  of  his  life  in  the 
service  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua;  but  his  influence  was  felt 
in  all  Italy,  for  his  marriage  with  the  daughter  of  Jacopo 
Bellini  brought  him  into  relations  with  many  artists.  His 
services  were  sought  by  various  sovereigns,  whose  offers  he 
refused  until  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  summoned  him  to  Rome 
to  paint  a  chapel  in  the  Vatican.  After  two  years  there  he 
returned  to  Mantua,  where  he  died.  His  pictures  are  in  all 
large  collections  ;  his  finest  works  are  madonnas  at  the 
Louvre,  Paris,  and  in  the  Church  of  St.  Zeno  at  Verona. 
Mantegna  was  a  fine  engraver  also,  and  his  plates  are  now 
very  valuable. 

In  the  Umbrian  school  Pictro  Perugino  (1446-1524) 
was  a  notable  painter  ;  he  was  important  on  account  of  his 
own  work,  and  because  he  was  the  master  of  the  great  Ra- 
phael. His  pictures  were  simple  and  devout  in  their  spirit, 
and  brilliant  in  color  ;  in  fact,  he  is  considered  as  the  founder 
of  the  style  which  Raphael  perfected.  His  works  are  in  the 
principal  galleries  of  Europe,  and  he  had  many  followers 
of  whom  we  have  not  space  to  speak. 

Francisco  Francia  (1450-15 18)  was  the  founder  of 
the  school  of  Bologna.  His  true  name  was  Francisco  di 
Marco  Raibolini,  and  he  was  a  goldsmith  of  repute  before 


PAINTING   IN    ITALY. 


83 


he  was  a  painter.  He  was  also  master  of  the  mint  to  the 
Bentivoglio  and  to  Pope  Julius  II.  at  Bologna.  It  is  not 
possible  to  say  when  he  began  to  paint ;  but  his  earliest 
known  work  is  dated  1490  or  1494,  and  is  in  the  Gallery  of 
Bologna.  His  pictures  resemble  those  of  Perugino  and 
Raphael,  and  it  is  said  that  he  died  of  sorrow  because  he 
felt  himself  so    inferior   to    the    great    painter   of  Urbino. 


Fig.  34.— Madonna.     By  Perugtno.     In  the  Pitti  Gallery,  Florence. 

Raphael  sent  his  St.  Cecilia  to  P^'rancia,  and  asked  him  to 
care  for  it  and  see  it  hung  in  its  place  ;  he  did  so,  but  did  not 
live  long  after  this.  It  is  well  known  that  these  two  mas- 
ters were  good  friends  and  corresponded,  but  it  is  not  cer- 
tain that  they  ever  met.  Francia's  pictures  are  numerous  ; 
his  portraits  are  excellent.  Many  of  his  works  are  still  in 
Bologna. 

We  come  now  to  one  of  the  most  celebrated  masters  of 


84  PAINTING. 

Italy,  Leonardo  da  Vinci  (1452-15 19),  the  head  of  the 
Lombard  or  Milanese  school.  He  was  not  the  equal  of  the 
great  masters,  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael,  and  Titian  ;  but 
he  stands  between  them  and  the  painters  who  preceded 
him  or  those  of  his  own  day. 

In  some  respects,  however,  he  was  the  most  extraordi- 
nary man  of  his  time.  His  talents  were  many-sided ;  for 
he  was  not  only  a  great  artist,  but  also  a  fine  scholar  in 
mathematics  and  mechanics  ;  he  wrote  poetry  and  composed 
music,  and  was  with  all  this  so  attractive  personally,  and  so 
brilliant  in  his  manner,  that  he  was  a  favorite  wherever  he 
went.  It  is  probable  that  this  versatility  prevented  his 
being  very  great  in  any  one  thing,  while  he  was  remarkable 
in  many  things. 

When  still  very  young  Leonardo  showed  his  artistic 
talent.  The  paper  upon  which  he  worked  out  his  sums  was 
frequently  bordered  with  little  pictures  which  he  drew  while 
thinking  on  his  lessons,  and  these  sketches  at  last  attracted 
his  father's  attention,  and  he  showed  them  to  his  friend 
Andrea  Verrocchio,  an  artist  of  Florence,  who  advised  that 
the  boy  should  become  a  painter.  Accordingly,  in  1470, 
when  eighteen  years  old,  Leonardo  was  placed  under  the 
care  of  Verrocchio,  who  was  like  a  kind  father  to  his  pupils  : 
he  was  not  only  a  painter,  but  also  an  architect  and  sculptor, 
a  musician  and  a  geometer,  and  he  especially  excelled  in 
making  exquisite  cups  of  gold  and  silver,  crucifixes  and 
statuettes  such  as  were  in  great  demand  for  the  use  of  the 
priesthood  in  those  days. 

Pietro  Perugino  was  a  fellow-pupil  with  Leonardo,  and 
they  two  soon  surpassed  their  master  in  painting,  and  at 
last,  when  Verrocchio  was  painting  a  picture  for  the  monks  of 
Vallambrosa,  and  desired  Leonardo  to  execute  an  angel  in 
it,  the  work  of  his  pupil  was  so  much  better  than  his  own 
that  the  old  painter  desired  to  throw  his  brush  aside  for- 
ever.    The  picture  is  now  in  the  Academy  of  Florence,  and 


Fig.  35- — Leonardo  da  Vinci.     From  a  drawing  in  red  chalk  by  himself . 
In  the  Royal  Library,  iurin. 


86  PAINTIXG. 

represents  "  The  Baptism  of  Christ.''  With  all  his  refine- 
ment and  sweetness,  Leonardo  had  a  liking  for  the  horrible. 
It  once  happened  that  a  countryman  brought  to  his  father 
a  circular  piece  of  wood  cut  from  a  fig-tree,  and  desired  to 
have  it  painted  for  a  shield  ;  it  was  handed  over  to  Leonardo, 
who  collected  in  his  room  a  number  of  lizards,  snakes,  bats, 
hedgehogs,  and  other  frightful  creatures,  and  from  these 
painted  an  unknown  monster  having  certain  characteristics 
of  the  horrid  things  he  had  about  him.  The  hideous  crea- 
ture was  surrounded  by  fire,  and  was  breathing  out  flames. 
When  his  fatiier  saw  it  he  ran  away  in  a  fright,  and  Leo- 
nardo was  greatly  pleased  at  this.  The  countryman  re- 
ceived an  ordinary  shield,  and  this  Rotcllo  del  Fico  (or  shield 
of  fig-tree  wood)  was  sold  to  a  merchant  for  one  hundred 
ducats,  and  again  to  the  Duke  of  Milan  for  three  times  that 
sum.  This  shield  has  now  been  lost  for  more  than  three 
centuries  ;  but  another  horror,  the  "  Medusa's  Head,"  is  in 
the  Uffizi  Gallery  in  Florence,  and  is  a  head  surrounded 
by  interlacing  serpents,  the  eyes  being  glassy  and  deathlike 
and  the  mouth  most  revolting  in  expression. 

While  in  Florence  Leonardo  accomplished  much,  but 
was  at  times  diverted  from  his  painting  by  his  love  of  sci- 
ence, sometimes  making  studies  in  astronomy  and  again  in 
natural  history  and  botany  ;  he  also  went  much  into  society, 
and  lived  extravagantly.  He  had  the  power  to  remember 
faces  that  he  had  seen  accidentally,  and  could  make  fine 
portraits  from  memory  ;  he  was  also  accustomed  to  invite 
to  his  house  people  from  the  lower  classes  ;  he  would 
amuse  them  while  he  sketched  their  faces,  making  good 
portraits  at  times,  and  again  ridiculous  caricatures.  He 
even  went  so  far,  for  the  sake  of  his  art,  as  to  accompany 
criminals  to  the  place  of  execution,  in  order  to  study  their 
expressions. 

After  a  time  Leonardo  wished  to  secure  some  fixed  in- 
come, and  wrote  to  the  Duke  of  Milan,  Ludovico  Sforza, 


LEONARDO    DA    VINCI.  87 

called  II  Moro,  offering  his  services  to  that  prince.  This 
resulted  in  his  going  to  Milan,  where  he  received  a  gener- 
ous salary,  and  became  very  popular  with  the  Duke  and 
all  the  court,  both  as  a  painter  and  as  a  gentleman.  The 
Duke  governed  as  the  regent  for  his  young  nephew,  and 
gathered  about  him  talented  men  for  the  benefit  of  the 
young  prince.  He  also  led  a  gay  life,  and  his  court  was 
the  scene  of  constant  festivities.  Leonardo's  varied  talents 
were  very  useful  to  the  Duke  ;  he  could  assist  him  in  every- 
thing— by  advice  at  his  council,  by  plans  for  adorning  his 
city,  by  music  and  poetry  in  his  leisure  hours,  and  by  paint- 
ing the  portraits  of  his  favorites.  Some  of  these  last  are 
now  famous  pictures — that  of  Lucrezia  Crevelli  is  believed 
to  be  in  the  Louvre  at  Paris,  where  it  is  called  "  La  Belle 
Ferroniere." 

The  Duke  conferred  a  great  honor  on  Leonardo  by 
choosing  him  to  be  the  founder  and  director  of  an  academy 
which  he  had  long  wished  to  establish.  It  was  called  the 
"  Academia  Leonardi  Vinci,"  and  had  for  its  purpose  the 
bringing  together  of  distinguished  artists  and  men  of  letters. 
Leonardo  was  appointed  superintendent  of  all  the  fetes  and 
entertainments  given  by  the  court,  and  in  this  department 
he  did  some  marvellous  things.  He  also  superintended  a 
great  work  in  engineering  which  he  brought  to  perfection, 
to  the  wonder  of  all  Italy  :  it  was  no  less  an  undertaking 
than  bringing  the  waters  of  the  Adda  from  Mortisana  to 
Milan,  a  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles.  In  spite  of 
all  these  occupations  the  artist  found  time  to  study  anatomy 
and  to  write  some  valuable  works.  At  length  II  Moro  be- 
came the  established  duke,  and  at  his  brilliant  court  Leo- 
nardo led  a  most  agreeable  life  ;  but  he  was  so  occupied  with 
many  things  that  he  painted  comparatively  few  pictures. 

At  length  the  Duke  desired  him  to  paint  a  picture  of 
the  Last  Supper  on  the  wall  of  the  refectory  in  the  Convent 
of  the  Madonna  delle  Grazie.     This  was  his  fjreatest  work 


PAINTING   IN   ITALY.  «9 

in  Milan  and  a  wonderful  masterpiece.  It  was  commenced 
about  1496,  and  was  finished  in  a  very  short  time.  We 
must  now  judge  of  it  from  copies  and  engravings,  for  it  has 
been  so  injured  as  to  give  no  satisfaction  to  one  who  sees  it. 
Some  good  copies  were  made  before  it  was  thus  ruined,  and 
numerous  engravings  make  it  familiar  to  all  the  world.  A 
copy  in  the  Royal  Academy,  London,  was  made  by  one 
of  Leonardo's  pupils,  and  is  the  size  of  the  original.  It  is 
said  that  the  prior  of  the  convent  complained  to  the  Duke 
of  the  length  of  time  the  artist  was  spending  upon  this  pic- 
ture ;  when  the  Duke  questioned  the  painter  he  said  that  he 
was  greatly  troubled  to  find  a  face  which  pleased  him  for 
that  of  Judas  Iscariot  ;  he  added  that  he  was  willing  to  al- 
low the  prior  to  sit  for  this  figure  and  thus  hasten  the  work  ; 
this  answer  pleased  the  Duke  and  silenced  the  prior. 

After  a  time  misfortunes  overtook  the  Duke,  and  Leo- 
nardo was  reduced  to  poverty  ;  finally  II  Moro  was  impris- 
oned ;  and  in  1 500  Leonardo  returned  to  Florence,  where  he 
was  honorably  received.  He  was  not  happy  here,  however, 
for  he  was  not  the  one  important  artist.  He  had  been  absent 
nineteen  years,  and  great  changes  had  taken  place  ;  Michael 
Angelo  and  Raphael  were  just  becoming  famous,  and  they 
with  other  artists  welcomed  Leonardo,  for  his  fame  had 
reached  them  from  Milan.  However,  he  painted  some  fine 
pictures  at  this  time  ;  among  them  were  the  "  Adoration 
of  the  Kings,"  now  in  the  Ufiizi  Gallery,  and  a  portrait  of 
Ginevra  Benci,  also  in  the  same  gallery.  This  lady  must 
have  been  very  beautiful  ;  Ghirlandajo  introduced  her  por- 
trait into  two  of  his  frescoes. 

But  the  most  remarkable  portrait  was  that  known  as 
Mona  Lisa  del  Giocondo,  which  is  in  the  Louvre,  and  is 
called  by  some  critics  the  finest  work  of  this  master.  The 
lady  was  the  wife  of  Francesco  del  Giocondo,  a  lovely  wo- 
man, and  some  suppose  that  she  was  very  dear  to  Leonardo. 
He  worked  upon  it  for  four  years,  and  still  thought  it  unfin- 


go  PAINTING. 

ished  :  the  face  has  a  deep,  thoughtful  expression — the  eye- 
lids are  a  httle  weary,  perhaps,  and  through  it  all  there 
is  a  suggestion  of  something  not  quite  understood — a  mys- 
tery :  the  hands  are  graceful  and  of  perfect  form,  and  the 
rocky  background  gives  an  unusual  fascination  to  the  whole 
picture.  Leonardo  must  have  loved  the  picture  himself,  and 
it  is  not  strange  that  he  lavished  more  time  upon  it  than  he 
gave  to  the  great  picture  of  the  Last  Supper.     (Fig.  2i7-) 

Leonardo  sold  this  picture  to  Francis  L  for  nine  thousand 
dollars,  which  was  then  an  enormous  sum,  though  now  one 
could  scarcely  fix  a  price  upon  it.  In  i860  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  paid  twelve  thousand  dollars  for  a  St.  -Sebastian  by 
Leonardo,  and  in  1865  a  madonna  by  him  was  sold  in  Paris 
for  about  sixteen  thousand  dollars.  Of  course  his  pictures  are 
rarely  sold  ;  but,  when  they  are,  great  sums  are  given  for  them. 

In  1502  Caisar  Borgia  appointed  Leonardo  his  engineer 
and  sent  him  to  travel  through  Central  Italy  to  inspect  his 
fortresses  ;  but  this  usurper  soon  fled  to  Spain,  and  in  1503 
our  painter  was  again  in  Florence.  In  1504  his  father  died. 
From  1507  to  15 12  Leonardo  was  at  the  summit  of  his 
greatness.  Louis  XII.  appointed  him  his  painter,  and  he 
labored  for  this  monarch  also  to  improve  the  water-works 
of  Milan.  For  seven  }'ears  he  dwelt  at  ]\Iilan,  making 
frequent  journeys  to  Florence.  But  the  political  troubles 
of  the  time  made  Lombardy  an  uncongenial  home  for  any 
artist,  and  Leonardo,  with  a  few  pupils,  went  to  Florence 
and  then  on  to  Rome.  Pope  Leo  X.  received  him  cordially 
enough,  and  told  him  to  "  work  for  the  glory  of  God,  Italy. 
Leo  X.,  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci."  But  Leonardo  was  not 
happy  in  Rome,  where  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael  were 
in  great  favor,  and  when  Francis  I.  made  his  successes  in 
Italy  in  151 5,  Leonardo  hastened  to  Lombardy  to  meet 
him.  The  new  king  of  France  restored  him  to  the  office  to 
which  Louis  XII.  had  appointed  him,  and  gave  him  an  an- 
nual pension  of  seven  hundred  gold  crowns. 


Fig.  37— Mona  Lisa.— "La  Belle  Joconde." 


92  PAINTING. 

When  Francis  returned  to  France  he  desired  to  cut  out 
the  wall  on  which  the  Last  Supper  was  painted,  and  carry 
it  to  his  own  country  :  this  proved  to  be  impossible,  and  it 
is  much  to  be  regretted,  as  it  is  probable  that  if  it  could 
have  been  thus  removed  it  would  have  been  better  pre- 
served. However,  not  being  able  to  take  the  artist's  great 
work,  the  king  took  Leonardo  himself,  together  with  his 
favorite  pupils  and  friends  and  his  devoted  servant.  In 
France,  Leonardo  was  treated  with  consideration.  He  re- 
sided near  Amboise,  where  he  could  mingle  with  the  court. 
It  is  said  that,  old  though  he  was,  he  was  so  much  admired 
that  the  courtiers  imitated  his  dress  and  the  cut  of  his 
beard  and  hair.  He  was  given  the  charge  of  all  artistic 
matters  in  France,  and  doubtless  Francis  hoped  that  he 
would  found  an  Academy  as  he  had  done  at  Milan.  lUit 
he  seems  to  have  left  all  his  energy,  all  desire  for  work, 
on  the  Italian  side  of  the  Alps.  He  made  a  few  plans  ;  but 
he  brought  no  great  thing  to  pass,  and  soon  his  health 
failed,  and  he  fell  into  a  decline.  He  gave  great  attention 
to  religious  matters,  received  the  sacrament,  and  then  made 
his  will,  and  put  his  worldly  affairs  in  order. 

The  king  was  accustomed  to  visit  him  frcqucnth',  and 
on  the  last  day  of  his  life,  wdien  the  sovereign  entered  the 
room,  Leonardo  desired  to  be  raised  up  as  a  matter  of  re- 
spect to  the  king  :  sitting,  he  conversed  of  his  sufferings, 
and  lamented  that  he  had  done  so  little  for  God  and  man. 
Just  then  he  was  seized  with  an  attack  of  pain — the  king 
rose  to  support  him,  and  thus,  in  the  arms  of  Francis,  the 
great  master  breathed  his  last.  This  has  sometimes  been 
doubted  ;  but  the  modern  French  critics  agree  with  the  an- 
cient writers  who  give  this  account  of  his  end. 

He  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Fiorentin  at  Am- 
boise, and  it  is  not  known  that  any  monument  was  erected 
over  him.  In  1808  the  church  was  destroyed  ;  in  1863  Ar- 
sine  Houssaye,  with  others,  made  a  search  for  the  grave  of 


THE    FLORENTINE   SCIKJOL.  93 

Leonardo,  and  it  is  believed  that  his  remains  were  found. 
In  1873  a  noble  monument  was  erected  in  Milan  to  the 
memory  of  Da  Vinci.  It  is  near  the  entrance  to  the  Ar- 
cade of  Victor  Emmanuel  :;  the  statue  of  the  master  stands 
on  a  high  pedestal  in  a  thoughtful  attitude,  the  head  bowed 
down  and  the  arms  crossed  on  the  breast.  Below  are  othe^" 
statues  and  rich  bas-reliefs,  and  one  inscription  speaks  o\ 
him  as  the  "'  Renewer  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences." 

Many  of  his  writings  are  in  the  libraries  of  Europe  in 
manuscript  form:  his  best  known  work  is  the  "  Trattato 
della  Pittura,"  and  has  been  translated  into  English.  As 
an  engineer  his  canal  of  Mortesana  was  enougii  to  give  him 
fame  ;  as  an  artist  he  may  be  called  the  "  Poet  of  Painters," 
and,  if  those  who  followed  him  surpassed  him,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  it  is  easier  to  advance  in  a  path  once 
opened  than  to  discover  a  new  path.  Personally  he  was 
much  beloved,  and.  though  he  lived  when  morals  were  at 
a  low  estimate,  he  led  a  proper  and  reputable  life.  His 
pictures  were  pure  in  their  spirit,  and  he  seemed  only  to  de- 
sire the  progress  of  art  and  science,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
read  and  learn  of  him,  as  it  is  to  see  his  works. 

Other  good  artists  of  the  Lombard  school  in  the  fifteenth 
century  were  BERNARDINO  LuiNl  (about  1460-1530),  who 
was  the  best  pupil  of  Leonardo,  GIOVANNI  Antonio  Bel- 
TRAFFIO  (1467-15 16),  GAUDENZIO  FARRARI  (1484-1549J, 
Ambrogio  Borgognone  (works  dated  about  150O1,  and 
Andrea  Solario,  whose  age  is  not  known. 

We  return  now  to  the  Florentine  school  at  a  time  when 
the  most  remarkable  period  of  its  existence  was  about  to 
begin.  We  shall  speak  first  of  Fra  Bartolommeo  or 
Baccio  della  Porta,  also  called  II  Frate  (1469-1517). 
He  was  born  at  Savignano,  and  studied  at  Florence  under 
Cosimo  Rosselli,  but  was  much  influenced  by  the  works  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci.  This  painter  became  famous  for  the 
beauty   of  his   pictures  of  the  Madonna,    and  at   the  time 


94  PAI.XTIXG. 

when  the  great  Savonarohi  went  to  Florence  liartolommeo 
was  emploj-ed  in  the  Convent  of  San  Marco,  where  the 
preacher  lived.  The  artist  became  the  devoted  friend  of 
the  preacher,  and,  when  the  latter  was  seized,  tortured,  and 
burned,  l^artolomnico  became  a  friar,  and  left  his  pictures 
to  be  finished  b\'  his  pupil  Albcrtinelli.  For  four  years  he 
lived  the  most  austere  life  and  did  not  touch  his  brush  : 
then  his  superior  commanded  him  to  resume  his  art  ;  but 
the  painter  had  no  interest  In  it.  About  this  time  Raphael 
sought  him  out.  and  became  his  triend  ;  he  also  instructed 
the  monk  in  perspective,  and  in  turn  Raphael  learned  from 
him,  for  Fra  Bartolommeo  was  the  first  artist  who  used  lay 
figures  in  arranging  his  draperies  ;  he  also  told  Raphael 
some  secrets  of  colors. 

About  1 5 13  Bartolommeo  went  to  Rome,  and  after  his 
return  to  his  convent  he  began  what  promised  to  be  a  won- 
derful artistic  career  ;  but  he  only  lived  four  years  more, 
and  the  amount  of  his  work  was  so  small  that  his  pictures 
are  now  rare.  His  madonnas,  saints,  and  angels  are  holy 
in  their  efifect ;  his  representations  of  architecture  are  grand, 
and  while  his  works  are  not  strong  or  powerful,  they  give 
much  pleasure  to  those  who  see  them. 

Michael  Angelo  Buonarroti  was  born  at  the  Castle 
of  Capresc  in  1475.  His  father,  who  was  of  a  noble  family 
of  Florence,  was  then  governor  of  Caprese  and  Chiusi  and. 
when  the  Buonarroti  household  returned  to  Florence,  the 
little  Angelo  was  left  with  his  nurse  on  one  of  his  father's 
estates  at  Settignano  The  father  and  husband  ot  his  nurse 
were  stone-masons,  and  thus  in  infancy  the  future  artist 
was  in  the  midst  of  blocks  ot  stone  and  marble  and  the  im 
plements  which  he  later  used  with  so  much  skill.  For 
many  years  rude  sketches  were  shown  upon  the  walls  of  the 
nurse's  house  made  by  her  baby  charge,  and  he  afterward 
said  that  he  imbibed  a  love  for  marble  with  his  earliest  food 

At  the  proper  age  Angelo  was  taken  to  Florence  and 


Fig.  38.— Portrait  of  Michakl  Angblo  Buonarroti. 


q6  painting. 

placed  in  school  ;  but  he  spent  his  time  mostly  in  draw- 
ing, and  having  made  the  acquaintance  of  Francesco  Gra- 
nacci.,  at  that  time  a  pupil  with  Ghirlandajo,  he  borrowed 
from  him  designs  and  materials  by  which  to  carry  on  his 
beloved  pursuits.  Michael  Angelo's  desire  to  become  an 
artist  was  violently  opposed  by  his  father  and  his  uncles, 
for  they  desired  him  to  be  a  silk  and  woollen  merchant,  and 
sustain  the  commercial  reputation  of  the  family.  But  so  de- 
termined was  he  that  finally  his  father  yielded,  and  in  1488 
placed  him  in  the  studio  of  Ghirlandajo.  Here  the  boy  of 
thirteen  worked  with  great  diligence  ;  he  learned  how  to 
prepare  colors  and  to  lay  the  groundwork  of  frescoes,  and 
he  was  set  to  copy  drawings.  Very  soon  he  wearied  of  this, 
and  began  to  make  original  designs  after  his  own  ideas. 
At  one  time  he  corrected  a  drawing  of  his  master's:  when 
he  saw  this,  sixty  years  later,,  he  gaid,  "  I  almost  think  that 
I  knew  more  of  art  in  my  youth  than  I  do  in  my  old  age." 

When  Michael  Angelo  went  to  Ghirlandajo,  that  master 
was  employed  on  the  restoration  of  the  choir  of  Santa 
Maria  Novella,  so  that  the  boy  came  at  once  into  the  midst  of 
important  work.  One  day  he  drew  a  picture  of  the  scaffold- 
ing and  all  that  belonged  to  it,  with  the  painters  at  work 
thereon:  when  his  master  saw  it  he  exclaimed,  "He  al- 
ready understands  more  than  I  do  myself."  This  excel- 
lence in  the  scholar  roused  the  jealousy  of  the  master,  as 
well  as  of  his  other  pupils,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  Michael 
Angelo  when,  in  answer  to  a  request  from  Lorenzo  de 
Medici,  he  and  Francesco  Granacci  were  named  bj'  Ghir- 
landajo as  his  two  most  promising  scholars,  and  were  then 
sent  to  the  Academy  which  the  duke  had  established.  Tiie 
art  treasures  which  Lorenzo  gave  for  the  use  of  the  students 
were  arranged  in  the  gardens  of  San  Marco,  and  here,  un- 
der the  instruction  of  the  old  Bertoldo,  Angelo  forgot  paint- 
ing in  his  enthusiasm  for  sculpture.  He  first  copied  the 
face  of  a  faun  ;    but  he  changed  it  somewhat,  and  opened 


MICHAEL   ANGELO.  97 

the  moutn  so  that  the  teeth  could  be  seen.  When  Lorenzo 
visited  the  garden  he  praised  the  work,  but  said,  "You 
have  made  your  faun  so  old,  and  yet  you  have  left  him  all 
his  teeth  ;  you  should  have  known  that  at  such  an  advanced 
age  there  are  generally  some  wanting."  The  next  time  he 
came  there  was  a  gap  in  the  teeth,  and  so  well  done  that  he 
was  delighted.     This  work  is  now  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery, 

Lorenzo  now  sent  for  the  father  of  Angelo,  and  asked 
that  the  son  might  live  in  the  Medici  palace  under  his  own 
care.  Somewhat  reluctantly  the  father  consented,  and  the 
duke  gave  him  an  office  in  the  custom-house.  From  this 
time  for  three  years,  Angelo  sat  daily  at  the  duke's  table, 
and  was  treated  as  one  of  his  own  family  ;  he  was  properly 
clothed,  and  had  an  allowance  of  five  ducats  a  month  for 
pocket-money.  It  was  the  custom  with  Lorenzo  to  give  an 
entertainment  every  day  ;  he  took  the  head  of  the  table, 
and  whoever  came  first  had  a  scat  next  him.  It  often  hap- 
pened that  Michael  Angelo  had  this  place.  Lorenzo  was 
the  head  of  Florence,  and  Florence  was  the  head  of  art, 
poetry,  and  all  scholarly  thought.  Thus,  in  the  home  of  the 
Medidi,  the  young  artist  heard  learned  talk  upon  all  subjects 
of  interest  ;  he  saw  there  all  the  celebrated  men  who  lived 
in  the  city  or  visited  it,  and  his  life  so  near  Lorenzo,  for  a 
thoughtful  youth,  as  he  was,  amounted  to  an  education. 

The  society  of  Florence  at  this  time  was  not  of  a  high 
moral  tone,  and  in  the  year  in  which  Michael  Angelo  en- 
tered the  palace,  a  monk  called  Savonarola  came  to  Flor- 
ence to  preach  against  the  customs  and  the  crimes  of  the 
city.  Michael  Angelo  was  much  affected  by  this,  and 
throughout  his  long  life  remembered  Savonarola  with  true 
respect  and  affection,  and  his  brother,  Leonardo  Buonarroti, 
was  so  far  influenced  that  he  withdrew  from  the  world  and 
became  a  Dominican  monk. 

Michael    Angelo's    diligence   was    great  ;    he    not   only 
studied  sculpture,  but  he  found  time  to  copy  some  of  the 
7 


98  PAINTING. 

fine  old  frescoes  in  the  Church  of  the  Carmine.  He  gave 
great  attention  to  the  study  of  anatomy,  and  he  was  known 
throughout  the  city  for  his  talents,  and  for  his  pride  and 
bad  temper.  He  held  himself  aloof  from  his  fellow-pupils, 
and  one  day,  in  a  quarrel  with  Pietro  Torrigiano,  the  latter 
gave  Angelo  a  blow  and  crushed  his  nose  so  badly  that  he 
was  disfigured  for  life.  Torrigiano  was  banished  for  this 
offence  and  went  to  England  ;  he  ended  his  life  in  a  Spanish 
prison. 

In  the  spring  of  1492  Lorenzo  de  Medici  died.  Michael 
Angelo  was  deeply  grieved  at  the  loss  of  his  best  friend  ; 
he  left  the  Medici  palace,  and  opened  a  studio  in  his  father's 
house,  where  he  worked  diligently  for  two  years,  making  a 
statue  of  Hercules  and  two  madonnas.  After  two  years 
there  came  a  great  snow-storm,  and  Piero  de  Medici  sent 
for  the  artist  to  make  a  snow  statue  in  his  court-yard.  He 
also  invited  Michael  Angelo  to  live  again  in  the  palace,  and 
the  invitation  was  accepted  ;  but  all  was  so  changed  there 
that  he  embraced  the  first  opportunity  to  leave,  and  during 
a  political  disturbance  fled  from  the  city  with  two  friends, 
and  made  his  way  to  Venice.  There  he  met  the  noble 
Aldovrandi  of  Bologna,  who  invited  the  sculptor  to  his 
home,  where  he  remained  about  a  year,  and  then  returned 
to  his  studio  in  Florence. 

Soon  after  this  he  made  a  beautiful,  sleeping  Cupid,  and 
when  the  young  Lorenzo  de  Medici  saw  it  he  advised  Michael 
Angelo  to  bury  it  in  the  ground  for  a  season,  and  thus  make  it 
look  like  an  antique  marble  ;  after  this  was  done,  Lorenzo  sent 
it  to  Rome  and  sold  it  to  the  Cardinal  Riario,  and  gave  the 
sculptor  thirty  ducats.  In  some  way  the  truth  of  the  mat- 
ter reached  the  ears  of  the  Cardinal,  who  sent  his  agent 
to  Florence  to  find  the  artist.  When  Michael  Angelo  heard 
that  two  hundred  ducats  had  been  paid  for  his  Cupid,  he 
knew  that  he  had  been  deceived.  The  Cardinal's  agent 
invited  him  to  go  to  Rome,  and  he  gladly  went.    The  oldest 


MICHAEL   ANGELO.  99 

existing  writing  from  the  hand  of  Michael  Angelo  is  the  let- 
ter which  he  wrote  to  Lorenzo  to  inform  him  of  his  arrival 
in  Rome.  He  was  then  twenty-one  years  old,  and  spoke 
with  joy  of  all  the  beautiful  things  he  had  seen. 

Not  long  after  he  reached  Rome  he  made  the  statue  of 
the  "  Drunken  Bacchus,"  now  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  and 
then  the  Virgin  Mary  sitting  near  the  place  of  the  cross 
and  holding  the  body  of  the  dead  Christ.  The  art-term  for 
this  subject  is  "  La  Pieta."  From  the  time  that  Michael 
Angelo  made  this  beautiful  work  he  was  the  first  sculptor 
of  the  world,  though  he  was  but  twenty- four  years  old. 
The  Pieta  was  placed  in  St.  Peter's  Church,  where  it  still 
remains.  The  next  year  he  returned  to  Florence.  He 
was  occupied  with  both  painting  and  sculpture,  and  was 
soon  employed  on  his  "  David,"  one  of  his  greatest  works. 
This  statue  weighed  eighteen  thousand  pounds,  and  its  re- 
moval from  the  studio  in  which  it  was  made  to  the  place 
where  it  was  to  stand,  next  the  gate  of  the  Palazzo  Vecchio, 
was  a  difficult  undertaking.  It  was  at  last  put  in  place  on 
May  i8,  1504;  there  it  remained  until  a  few  years  ago, 
when,  on  account  of  its  crumbling  from  the  effect  of  the 
weather,  it  was  removed  to  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  by 
means  of  a  railroad  built  for  the  purpose. 

About  this  time  a  rivalry  sprang  up  between  Michael 
Angelo  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  They  were  very  unlike 
in  their  characters  and  mode  of  life.  Michael  Angelo  was 
bitter,  ironical,  and  liked  to  be  alone  ;  Leonardo  loved  to 
be  gay  and  to  see  the  world  ;  Michael  Angelo  lived  so  that 
when  he  was  old  he  said,  "  Rich  as  I  am,  I  have  always  lived 
like  a  poor  man  ;  '  Leonardo  enjoyed  luxury,  and  kept  a 
fine  house,  with  horses  and  servants  They  had  entered  into 
a  competition  which  was  likely  to  result  in  serious  trouble, 
when  Pope  Julius  H.  summoned  Michael  Angelo  to  Rome. 
The  Pope  gave  him  an  order  to  build  him  a  splendid  tomb; 
but  the  enemies  ot  the  sculptor  made  trouble  for  him,  and 


lOO  PAINTIN\;. 

one  morning  he  was  refused  admission  to  the  Pope's  palace. 
He  then  left  Rome,  sending  this  letter  to  the  Pope  :  "  Most 
Holy  Father,  I  was  this  morning  driven  from  the  palace  by 
the  order  of  your  Holiness.  If  you  require  me  in  future 
you  can  seek  me  elsewhere  than  at  Rome." 

Then  he  went  to  Florence,  and  the  Pope  sent  for  him 
again  and  again  ;  but  he  did  not  go.  Meantime  he  finished 
his  design,  and  received  the  commission  that  he  and  Leo- 
nardo had  striven  for,  which  was  to  decorate  the  hall  of  the 
Grand  Council  with  pictures.  At  last,  in  1506,  the  Pope 
was  in  Bologna,  and  again  sent  for  Michael  Angelo.  He 
went,  and  was  forgiven  for  his  offence,  and  received  an  or- 
der for  a  colossal  statue  of  the  Pope  in  bronze.  When  this 
was  finished  in  1508,  and  put  before  the  Church  of  St.  Pe- 
tronio,  Michael  Angelo  returned  to  Florence.  He  had  not 
made  friends  in  Bologna  ;  his  forbidding  manner  did  not 
encourage  others  to  associate  with  him  ;  but  we  now  know 
from  his  letters  that  he  had  great  trials.  His  family  was 
poor,  and  all  relied  on  him  ;  indeed,  his  life  was  full  of  care 
and  sadness. 

In  1508  he  was  again  summoned  to  Rome  by  the  Pope, 
who  insisted  that  he  should  paint  the  ceiling  of  the  Sistine 
Chapel,  in  the  Vatican.  Michael  Angelo  did  not  wish  to 
do  this,  as  he  had  done  no  great  painting.  It  proved  to  be 
one  of  his  most  famous  works  ;  but  he  had  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  in  it.  On  one  occasion  the  Pope  threatened  to 
throw  the  artist  from  the  scaffolding.  The  Pope  complained 
also  that  the  pictures  looked  poor  ;  to  this  the  artist  replied  : 
"  They  are  only  poor  people  whom  I  have  painted  there, 
and  did  not  wear  gold  on  their  garn>ents.''  His  subjects 
were  from  the  Bible.  When  the  artist  would  have  a  leave 
of  absence  to  go  to  Florence,  the  Pope  got  so  angry  that 
he  struck  him  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all,  this  great  painting  was 
finished  in  15 12.  Grimm,  in  his  life  of  Michael  Angelo, 
says  :   "It  needed  the  meeting  of  these  two  men  ;   in  the 


MICHAEL   ANGELO. 


lOI 


one  such  perseverance  in  requiring,  and  in  the  other  such 
power  of  fulfilHng,  to  produce  this  monument  of  human 
art 

It  is  impossible  here  to  follow,  step  by  step,  the  life  and 
works  of  this  master.  Among  the  other  great  things  which 
he  did  are  the  tomb  of  Julius  II.  in  the  Church  of  S.  Pictro 


Fi,i   39.— The  Prophet  Jeremiah.     By  M.  Angela.     From  the  Sistbie  Chapel. 

in  Vincoli,  in  Rome,  of  which  the  famous  statue  of  Moses 
makes  a  part.      (Fig.  40.) 

He  made  the  statues  in  the  Medici  Chapel  in  the  Church 
of  San  Lorenzo,  in  Florence,  the  painting  of  the  Last  Judg- 
ment on  a  wall  of  the  Sistine  Chapel,  and  many  works  as 
an  architect ;  for  he  was  called  upon  to  attend  to  fortifica- 
tions both  in  Florence  and  Rome,  and  at  last,  as  his  great- 


Fig.  40 —Statue  of  Moses.     By  M.  An^clo. 


MICHAEL  ANGELO.  103 

est  work  of  this  sort,  he  was  the  architect  of  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome.  Many  different  artists  had  had  a  share  in  this  work  ; 
but  as  it  now  is  Michael  Angelo  may  be  counted  as  its  real 
architect.  His  works  are  numerous  and  only  a  small  part 
of  them  is  here  mentioned  ;  but  I  have  spoken  of  those  by 
which  he  is  most  remembered.  His  life,  too,  was  a  stormy 
one  for  many  reasons  that  we  have  not  space  to  tell.  While 
he  lived  there  were  wars  and  great  changes  in  Italy  ;  he 
served  also  under  nine  popes,  and  during  his  life  thirteen 
men  occupied  the  papal  chair.  Besides  being  great  as  a 
painter,  an  architect,  and  a  sculptor,  he  was  a  poet,  and 
wrote  sonnets  well  worthy  of  such  a  genius  as  his.  His 
whole  life  was  so  serious  and  sad  that  it  gives  one  joy  to 
know  that  in  his  old  age  he  formed  an  intimate  friendship 
with  Vittoria  Colonna,  a  wonderful  woman,  who  made  a 
sweet  return  to  him  for  all  the  tender  devotion  which  he 
lavished  upon  her. 

Italians  associate  the  name  of  Michael  Angelo  with  those 
of  the  divine  poet  Dante  and  the  painter  Raphael,  and  these 
three  are  spoken  of  as  the  three  greatest  men  of  their  coun- 
try in  what  are  called  the  modern  days.  Michael  Angelo 
died  at  Rome  in  1564,  when  eighty-nine  years  old.  He  de- 
sired to  be  buried  in  Florence  ;  but  his  friends  feared  to  let 
this  be  known  lest  the  Pope  should  forbid  his  removal.  He 
was  therefore  buried  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles  ; 
but  his  nephew,  Leonardo  Buonarroti,  conveyed  his  re- 
mains to  Florence  secretly,  disguised  as  a  bale  of  merchan- 
dise. At  Florence,  on  a  Sunday  night,  his  body  was  borne 
to  Santa  Croce,  in  a  torchlight  procession,  and  followed  by 
many  thousands  of  citizens.  There  his  friends  once  more 
gazed  upon  the  face  which  had  not  been  seen  in  Florence 
for  thirty  years  ;  he  looked  as  if  quietly  sleeping.  Some 
days  later  a  splendid  memorial  service  was  held  in  San  Lo- 
renzo, attended  by  all  the  court,  the  artists,  scholars,  and 
eminent  men  of  the  city.     An  oration  was  pronounced  ; 


104  PAINTING. 

rare  statues  and  paintings  were  collected  in  the  church  ;  all 
the  shops  of  the  city  were  closed  ;  and  the  squares  were 
filled  with  people. 

Above  his  grave  in  Santa  Crocc,  where  he  lies  near 
Dante,  Machiavelli,  Galileo,  and  many  other  great  men, 
the  Duke  and  Leonardo  Buonarroti  erected  a  monument. 
It  has  statues  of  Painting,  Sculpture,  and  Architecture,  and 
a  bust  of  the  great  man  who  sleeps  beneath. 

In  the  court  of  the  Uffizi  his  statue  stands  together  with 
those  of  other  great  Florentines.  His  house  in  the  Ghibel- 
line  Street  now  belongs  to  the  city  of  Florence,  and  con- 
tains many  treasured  mementoes  of  his  life  and  works  ;  it  is 
open  to  all  who  wish  to  visit  it.  In  1875  a  grand  festival 
was  held  in  Florence  to  celebrate  the  four  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  his  birth.  The  ceremonies  were  very  impressive, 
and  at  that  time  some  documents  which  related  to  his  life, 
and  had  never  been  opened,  were,  by  command  of  Victor 
Emmanuel,  given  to  proper  persons  to  be  examined. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  great  deeds  of  great  men  live  on  and 
on,  through  all  time,  and  it  is  a  joy  to  know  that  though 
the  fourscore  and  nine  years  of  the  life  of  this  artist  had 
much  of  care  and  sorrow  in  them,  his  name  and  memory 
are  still  cherished,  and  must  continue  to  be,  while  from  his 
life  many  lessons  may  be  drawn  to  benefit  and  encourage 
others — lessons  which  we  cannot  here  write  out  ;  but  they 
teach  patience,  industry,  and  faithfulness  to  duty,  while  they 
also  warn  us  to  avoid  the  bitterness  and  roughness  which 
are  blemishes  on  the  memory  of  this  great,  good  man. 

Daniele  de  Volterra  (1509-1566)  was  the  best 
scholar  of  Michael  Angelo.  His  principal  pictures  are  the 
"  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  in  the  Church  of  Trinita  di 
Monti,  in  Rome,  and  the  "  Massacre  of  the  Innocents,"  in 
the  Uffizi  Gallery  ;  both  are  celebrated  works. 

The  next  important  Florentine  painter  was  Anorea  DEL 
Sarto(i488-i530).  Hisfamily  name  was  Vannucchi ;  but  be- 


ANDREA    DEL    SAKTO.  IO5 

cause  his  father  was  a  tailor,  the  ItaHan  term  for  one  of  his 
trade,  iin  sarto,  came  to  be  used  for  the  son.  I^Larly  in  hfe 
Andrea  was  a  goldsmith,  as  were  so  many  artists  ;  but,  when 
he  was  able  to  study  painting  under  Pietro  di  Cosimo,  he 
became  devoted  to  it,  and  soon  developed  his  own  style, 
which  was  very  soft  and  pleasing.  His  pictures  cannot  be 
called  great  works  of  art,  but  they  are  favorites  with  a  large 
number  of  people.  He  succeeded  in  fresco-painting,  and 
decorated  several  buildings  in  Florence,  among  them  the 
Scalzo,  which  was  a  place  where  the  Barefooted  Friars  held 
their  meetings,  and  was  named  from  them,  as  they  are 
called  Scahi.  These  frescoes  are  now  much  injured  ;  but 
they  are  thought  his  best  works  of  this  kind. 

Probably  Andrea  del  Sarto  would  have  come  to  be  a 
better  painter  if  he  had  been  a  happier  man.  His  wife,  of 
whom  he  was  very  fond,  was  a  mean,  selfish  woman  who 
wished  only  to  make  a  great  show,  and  did  not  value  her 
husband's  talents  except  for  the  money  which  they  brought 
him.  She  even  influenced  him  to  desert  his  parents,  to 
whom  he  had  ever  been  a  dutiful  son.  About  15 18  Francis 
L,  king  of  France  invited  Andrea  to  Paris  to  execute  some 
works  for  him.  The  painter  went,  and  was  well  established 
there  and  very  popular,  when  his  wife  insisted  that  he  should 
return  to  Florence.  Francis  I.  was  very  unwilling  to  spare 
him,  but  Andrea  dared  not  refuse  to  go  to  his  wife  ;  so  he 
solemnly  took  an  oath  to  return  to  Paris  and  bring  his  wife, 
so  that  he  could  remain  as  long  as  pleased  the  king,  and 
then  that  sovereign  consented.  Francis  also  gave  the  artist 
a  large  sum  of  money  to  buy  for  him  all  sorts  of  beautiful 
objects. 

When  Andrea  reached  Florence  his  wife  refused  to  go  to 
France,  and  persuaded  him  to  give  her  the  king's  money. 
She  soon  spent  it,  and  Andrea,  who  lived  ten  years  more, 
was  very  unhappy,  while  the  king  never  forgave  him,  and 
to  this  day  this  wretched  story  must  be  told,  and  continues 


ANDREA   DEL   SARTO.  lO/ 

the  remembrance  of  his  dishonesty  After  all  he  had  sacri- 
ficed for  his  wife,  when  he  became  very  ill,  in  1530,  of  some 
contagious  disease,  she  deserted  him.  He  died  alone,  and 
with  no  prayer  or  funeral  was  buried  in  the  Convent  of  the 
Nunziata^  where  he  had  painted  some  of  his  frescoes. 

His  pictures  are  very  numerous  ;  they  are  correct  in 
drawing,  very  softly  finished,  and  have  a  peculiar  gray  tone 
ot  color.  He  painted  a  great  number  of  Holy  Families, 
one  of  which  is  called  the  "  Madonna  del  Sacco,"  because 
St.  Joseph  is  leaning  on  a  sack  (Fig.  41 ).  This  is  in  the 
convent  where  he  is  buried.  His  best  work  is  called  the 
"  Madonna  di  San  Francesco"  and  hangs  in  the  tribune  of 
the  Uffizi  Gallery.  This  is  a  most  honorable  place,  for  near 
it  are  pictures  by  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael,  Titian,  and 
other  great  painters,  as  well  as  some  v^ery  celebrated  statues, 
such  as  the  "Venus  de  Medici  "  and  the  "Dancing  Faun." 
Andrea  del  Sarto's  pictures  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  are 
almost  numberless  ;  they  are  sweet,  attractive  works,  as  are 
also  his  St.  Barbara,  St.  Agnes,  and  others  of  his  single 
figures. 

We  will  now  leave  the  Florentine  school  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  speak  of  the  great  master  of  the  Roman  school, 
Raphael  Sanzio,  or  Santi  (1483-1520).  vvho  was  born  at 
Urbino  on  Good  Friday.  His  father  was  a  painter,  and 
Raphael  showed  his  taste  for  art  very  earh'  in  life.  Both 
his  parents  died  while  he  was  still  a  child,  and  though  he 
must  have  learned  something  from  seeing  his  father  and 
other  painters  at  their  work,  we  say  that  Perugino  was  his 
first  master,  for  he  was  but  twelve  years  old  when  he  en- 
tered the  studio  of  that  painter  in  Perugia. 

Here  he  remained  more  than  eight  years,  and  about  the 
time  of  leaving  painted  the  very  celebrated  picture  called 
"  Lo  Sposalizio,"  or  the  Marriage  of  the  Virgin,  now  in  the 
Brera  at  Milan.  This  picture  is  famous  the  world  over, 
and  is  very  important  in  the  life  of  the  painter,  because  it 


I08  PAINTING. 

shows  the  highest  point  he  reached  under  Pcrugino,  or  dur- 
ing what  is  called  his  first  manner  in  painting.  Before  this 
he  had  executed  a  large  number  of  beautiful  pictures,  among 
which  was  the  so-called  "  Staffa  Madonna."  This  is  a  cir- 
cular picture  and  represents  the  Virgin  walking  in  a  spring- 
time landscape.  It  remained  in  the  Stafifa  Palace  in  Perugia 
three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  years,  and  in  1871  was  sold 
to  the  Emperor  of  Russia  for  seventy  thousand  dollars. 

In  1504  Raphael  returned  to  Urbino,  where  he  became 
the  favorite  of  the  court,  and  was  much  employed  by  the 
ducal  family.  To  this  time  belong  the  "  St.  George  Slay- 
ing the  Dragon"  and  the  "  St.  Michael  Attacking  Satan," 
now  in  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre.  But  the  young  artist 
soon  grew  weary  of  the  narrowness  of  his  life,  and  went  to 
Florence,  where,  amid  the  treasures  of  art  with  which  that 
city  was  crowded,  he  felt  as  if  he  was  in  an  enchanted  land. 
It  is  worth  while  to  recount  the  wonderful  things  he  saw  ; 
they  were  the  cathedral  with  the  dome  of  Brunelleschi,  the 
tower  of  Giotto,  the  marbles  and  bronzes  of  Donatello,  the 
baptistery  gates  of  Ghiberti,  the  pictures  of  Masaccio,  Ghir- 
landajo,  Fra  Angelico,  and  many  other  older  masters,  while 
Michael  Angelo  and  Leonardo  were  surprising  themselves 
and  all  others  with  their  beautiful  works. 

At  this  time  the  second  manner  of  Raphael  begun. 
During  his  first  winter  here  he  painted  the  so-called  "  Ma- 
donna della  Gran  Duca,"  now  in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  and  thus 
named  because  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  Ferdinand  II L. 
carried  it  with  him  on  all  his  journeys,  and  said  his  prayers 
before  it  at  morning  and  evening.  He  made  a  visit  to  Ur- 
bino in  1505,  and  wherever  he  was  he  worked  continually, 
and  finished  a  great  number  of  pictures,  which  as  yet  were 
of  religious  subjects  with  few  and  unimportant  exceptions. 

When  he  returned  to  Florence  in  1506,  the  cartoon  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci's  "  Battle  of  the  Standard  "  and  Michael 
Angelo's  "  Bathing  Soldiers"  revealed  a  new  world  of  art 


Fig.  42. — Portrait  of  Raphael.    Painted  by  Himself. 


I  lO  PAINTING. 

to  Raphael.  He  saw  that  heroic,  exciting  scenes  could  be 
represented  by  painting,  and  that  vigor  and  passion  could 
speak  from  the  canvas  as  powerfully  as  Christian  love  and 
resignation.  Still  he  did  not  attempt  any  new  thing  im- 
mediately. In  Florence  he  moved  in  the  best  circles.  He 
received  orders  for  some  portraits  of  nobles  and  wealthy 
men,  as  well  as  for  madonnas  and  Holy  Families.  Before 
long  he  visited  Bologna,  and  went  again  to  Urbino,  which 
had  become  a  very  important  city  under  the  reign  of  Duke 
Guidobaldo.  The  king  of  England,  Henry  VHI.,  had  sent 
to  this  duke  the  decoration  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter.  In 
return  for  this  honor,  the  duke  sent  the  king  rich  gifts, 
among  which  was  a  picture  of  St.  George  and  the  Dragon 
by  Raphael. 

While  at  Urbino,  at  this  time,  he  painted  his  first  classic 
subject,  the  "  Three  Graces."  Soon  after,  he  returned  the 
third  time  to  Florence,  and  now  held  much  intercourse  with 
Fra  Bartolommeo,  who  gave  the  younger  artist  valuable  in- 
struction as  to  his  color  and  drapery.  In  1508,  among  a 
great  number  of  pictures  he  painted  the  madonna  which  is 
called  "  La  Belle  Jardiniere,"  and  is  now  one  of  the  treas- 
ures of  the  Louvre.  The  Virgin  is  pictured  in  the  midst  of 
a  flowery  landscape,  and  it  has  been  said  that  a  beautiful 
flower-girl  to  whom  Raphael  was  attached  was  his  model 
for  the  picture.  This  picture  is  also  a  landmark  in  the  his- 
tory of  Raphael,  for  it  shows  the  perfection  of  his  second 
manner,  and  the  change  that  had  come  over  him  from  his 
Florentine  experience  and  associations.  His  earlier  pic- 
tures had  been  full  of  a  sweet,  unearthly  feeling,  and  a  color 
which  could  be  called  spiritual  was  spread  over  them  ;  now 
his  madonnas  were  like  beautiful,  earthly  mothers,  his  col- 
ors were  deep  and  rich,  and  his  landscapes  were  often  re- 
placed b\'  architectural  backgrounds  which  gave  a  stately 
air  where  all  before  had  been  simplicity.  His  skill  in  group- 
ing, in  color,  and  in  drapery  was  now  marvellous,  and  when 


RAPHAEL.  I  I  I 

in  1508  the  Pope,  who  had  seen  some  of  his  works,  sum- 
moned him  to  Rome,  he  went,  fully  prepared  for  the  great 
future  which  was  before  him,  and  now  began  his  third,  or 
Roman  manner  of  painting. 

This  pope  was  Julius  II.,  who  held  a  magnificent  court 
and  was  ambitious  for  glory  in  every  department  of  life — as 
a  temporal  as  well  as  a  spiritual  ruler,  and  as  a  patron  of 
art  and  letters  as  well  as  in  his  office  of  the  Protector  of  the 
Holy  Church.  He  had  vast  designs  for  the  adornment  of 
Rome,  and  immediately  employed  Raphael  in  the  deco- 
ration of  the  first  of  the  Stanze,  or  halls  of  the  Vatican,  four 
of  which  he  ornamented  with  magnificent  frescoes  before 
his  death.  He  also  executed  wall-paintings  in  the  Chigi 
Palace,  and  in  a  chapel  of  the  Church  of  Santa  ]\Iaria  della 
Pace. 

With  the  exception  of  a  short  visit  to  Florence,  Raphael 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Rome.  The  amount  of 
work  which  he  did  as  an  architect,  sculptor,  and  painter 
W'as  marvellous,  and  would  require  the  space  of  a  volume  to 
follow  it,  and  name  all  his  achievements,  step  by  step,  so  I 
shall  only  tell  you  of  some  of  his  best-known  works  and 
those  which  are  most  often  mentioned. 

While  he  was  Avorking  upon  the  halls  of  the  Vatican 
Julius  n.  died.  He  was  succeeded  by  Leo  X.,  who  also 
was  a  generous  patron  to  Raphael,  who  thus  suffered  no 
loss  of  occupation  from  the  change  of  popes.  The  artist 
became  very  popular  and  rich  ;  he  had  many  pupils,  and 
was  assisted  by  them  in  his  great  frescoes,  not  only  in  the 
Vatican,  but  also  in  the  P"'arnesina  Villa  or  Chigi  Palace, 
Raphael  had  the  power  to  attach  men  to  him  with  devoted 
affection,  and  his  pupils  gave  him  personal  service  gladly  ; 
he  was  often  seen  in  the  street  with  numbers  of  them  in  at- 
tendance, just  as  the  nobles  were  followed  by  their  squires 
and  pages.  He  built  himself  a  house  in  a  quarter  of  the 
city  called  the  Borgo,  not  far  from  the  Church  of  St.  Peter's, 


112  PAINTIN'G. 

and  during  the  remainder  of  his  hfc  was  attended  by  pros- 
perity and  success. 

One  of  the  important  works  whicli  he  did  for  Leo  X. 
was  the  making  of  cartoons,  or  designs  to  be  executed  in 
tapestry  for  the  decoration  of  the  Sistine  Chapel,  where 
Michael  Angelo  had  painted  his  great  frescoes.  The  Pope 
ordered  these  tapestries  to  be  woven  in  the  looms  of  Flan- 
ders, from  the  richest  materials,  and  a  quantity  of  gold 
thread  was  used  in  them.  They  were  completed  and  sent 
to  Rome  in  15 19,  and  were  exhibited  to  the  people  the  day 
after  Christmas,  when  all  the  city  flocked  to  see  them. 
In  1527,  when  the  Constable  de  Bourbon  allowed  the  French 
soldiers  to  sack  Rome,  these  tapestries  were  carried  away. 
In  1553  they  were  restored  ;  but  one  was  missing,  and  it  is 
believed  that  it  had  been  destroyed  for  the  sake  of  the 
gold  thread  which  was  in  it.  Again,  in  1798,  the  French 
carried  them  away  and  sold  them  to  a  Jew  in  Leghorn,  who 
burned  one  of  the  pieces ;  but  his  gain  in  gold  was  so  little 
that  he  preserved  the  others,  and  Pius  VII.  bought  them 
and  restored  them  to  the  Vatican,  The  cartoons,  however, 
are  far  more  important  than  the  tapestries,  because  they 
are  the  work  of  Raphael  himself.  The  weavers  at  Arras 
tossed  them  aside  after  using  them,  and  some  were  torn  ; 
but  a  century  later  the  artist  Rubens  learned  that  they  ex- 
isted, and  advised  King  Charles  1.  of  England  to  buy  them. 
This  he  did,  and  thus  the  cartoons  met  with  as  nian\-  ups 
and  downs  as  the  tapestries  had  had.  When  they  reached 
England  they  were  in  strips  ;  the  workmen  had  cut  them 
for  their  convenience.  After  the  king  was  executed  Crom- 
well bought  the  cartoons  for  three  hundred  pounds.  When 
Charles  II.  was  king  and  in  great  need  of  money  he  was 
sorely  tempted  to  sell  them  to  Louis  XIV.,  who  coveted 
them,  and  wished  to  add  them  to  the  treasures  of  France  ; 
but  Lord  Danby  persuaded  Charles  to  keep  them.  In  1698 
they  were  barely  saved  from  fire  at  Whitehall,  and  finally, 


Fig.  43. -Thl  Sishne  Madonna. 


114  PAINTING. 

by  command  of  William  III.,  they  were  properly  repaired 
and  a  room  was  built  at  Hampton  Court  to  receive  them, 
by  the  architect,  Sir  Christopher  Wren.  At  present  they 
are  -in  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  London.  Of  the 
original  eleven  only  seven  remain. 

Both  Henry  VHI.  and  Francis  I.  had  received  presents 
of  pictures  by  Raphae'l :  we  have  told  of  the  occasion  when 
the  St.  George  wjis  sent  to  England.  The  "Archangel 
Michael"  and  the  "Large  Holy  Family  of  the  Louvre" 
were  given  to  Francis  L  by  Lorenzo  dc  Medici,  who  sent 
them  overland  on  mules  to  the  Palace  of  Fontainebleau. 
Francis  was  so  charmed  with  these  works  that  he  presented 
Raphael  so  large  a  sum  that  he  was  unwilling  to  accept  it 
without  sending  the  king  still  other  pictures  ;  so  he  sent  the 
sovereign  another  painting,  and  to  the  king's  sister,  Queen 
Margaret  of  Navarre,  he  gave  a  picture  of  St.  Margaret 
overcoming  the  dragon.  Then  Francis  gave  Raphael  many 
thanks  and  another  rich  gift  of  money.  Besides  this  he  in- 
vited Raphael  to  come  to  his  court,  as  did  also  the  king  of 
England  ;  but  the  artist  preferred  to  remain  where  he  was 
already  so  prosperous  and  happy. 

About  1520  Raphael  painted  the  famous  Sistine  Ma- 
donna, now  the  pride  of  the  Dresden  Gallery.  It  is  named 
from  St.  Sixtus,  for  whose  convent,  at  Piacenza,  it  was 
painted  :  the  picture  of  this  saint,  too,  is  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  picture,  with  that  of  St.  Barbara.  No  sketch  or 
drawing  of  this  work  was  ever  found,  and  it  is  believed  that 
the  great  artist,  working  as  if  inspired,  sketched  it  and  fin- 
ished it  on  the  canvas  where  it  is.  It  was  originally  in- 
tended for  a  drappcllonc,  or  procession  standard,  but  the 
monks  used  it  for  an  altar-piece  (Fig.  43). 

While  Raphael  accomplished  so  much  as  a  painter,  he 
by  no  means  gave  all  his  time  or  thought  to  a  single  art. 
He  was  made  superintendent  of  the  building  of  St.  Peter's 
in   1 5 14,  and   made  many  architectural   drawings   for  that 


RAPHAEL.  115 

church  ;  he  was  also  much  interested  in  the  excavations  of 
ancient  Rome,  and  made  immense  numbers  of  drawings  of 
various  sorts.  As  a  sculptor  he  made  models  and  designs, 
and  there  is  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo,  in 
Rome,  a  statue  of  Jonah  sitting  on  a  whale,  said  to  have 
been  modelled  by  Raphael  and  put  into  marble  by  Loren- 
zetto  Latti. 

Raphael  was  also  interested  in  what  was  happening  out- 
side the  world  of  art  ;  he  corresponded  with  scholars  of 
different  countries,  and  sent  men  to  make  drawings  of  places 
and  objects  which  he  could  not  go  to  see.  He  was  also 
generous  to  those  less  fortunate  than  himself,  and  gave  en- 
couragement and  occupation  to  many  needy  men. 

At  one  time  he  expected  to  marry  Maria  de  Bibicna, 
a  niece  of  Cardinal  Bibiena  ;  but  she  died  before  the  time 
for  the  marriage  came. 

While  Raphael  was  making  his  great  successes  in  Rome, 
other  famous  artists  also  weve  there,  and  there  came  to  be 
much  discussion  as  to  their  merits,  and  especially  as  to  the 
comparative  worth  of  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael.  At  last, 
when  this  feeling  of  rivalry  was  at  its  height,  the  Cardinal 
Giulio  de  Medici,  afterward  Pope  Clement  VII.,  gave  or- 
ders to  Raphael  and  Sebastian  del  Piombo  to  paint  two 
large  pictures  for  the  Cathedral  of  Narbonne.  The  subject 
of  Sebastian's  picture  was  the  "  Raising  of  Lazarus,"  and  it 
has  always  been  said  that  Michael  Angelo  made  the  draw- 
ing for  it. 

Raphael's  picture  was  the  "  Transfiguration,"  and  proved 
to  be  his  last  work,  for  before  it  was  finished  he  was  at- 
tacked by  fever,  and  died  on  Good  Friday,  1620,  which  was 
the  thirty-seventh  anniversary  of  his  birth.  All  Rome 
mourned  for  him  ;  his  body  was  laid  in  state,  and  the  Trans- 
figuration was  placed  near  it.  Those  who  had  known  him 
went  to  weep  while  they  gazed  upon  his  face  for  the  last 
time. 


I  l6  PAINTING. 

He  had  chosen  his  grave  in  the  Pantheon,  near  to  that 
of  Maria  Bibiena,  his  betrothed  bride.  The  ceremonies 
of  his  burial  were  magnificent,  and  his  body  was  followed 
by  an  immense  throng  dressed  in  mourning.  Above  his 
tomb  was  placed  an  inscription  in  Latin,  written  by  Pietro 
Bembo,  which  has  for  its  last  sentence  these  words  :  "  This 
is  that  Raphael  by  whom  Nature  feared  to  be  conquered 
while  he  lived,  and  to  die  when  he  died."  Raphael  had 
also  requested  Lorenzo  Lorenzetti  to  make  a  statue  of  the 
Virgin  to  be  placed  above  his  resting-place.  He  left  a  large 
estate,  and  gave  his  works  of  art  to  his  pupils  Giulio  Ro- 
mano and  Francesco  Penni ;  his  house  to  Cardinal  Bibiena  ; 
a  sum  to  buy  another  house,  the  rent  of  which  should  pay 
for  twelve  masses  to  be  said  monthly,  for  the  repose  of  his 
soul,  from  the  altar  near  his  grave  ;  this  was  observed  until 
1705,  when  the  income  from  the  house  was  not  enough  to 
support  these  services. 

For  many  years  there  was  a  skull  at  the  Academy  of  St. 
Luke,  in  Rome,  which  was  called  that  of  Raphael  ;  but 
there  was  no  proof  of  this,  and  in  1833  some  antiquarians 
received  the  consent  of  the  Pope  to  their  searching  for  the 
bones  of  Raphael  in  his  grave  in  the  Pantheon.  After  five 
days  of  careful  work,  and  removing  the  pavement  in  several 
places,  the  skeleton  of  the  great  master  was  found,  and  with 
it  such  proofs  of  its  being  his  as  left  no  room  for  doubt. 
Then  a  second  great  funeral  service  was  held  ;  the  Pope, 
Gregory  XVL,  gave  a  marble  sarcophagus  in  which  the 
bones  were  placed,  and  reverently  restored  to  their  first 
resting-place.  More  than  three  thousand  persons  were 
present  at  the  service,  including  artists  of  all  nations,  as 
well  as  Romans  of  the  highest  rank.  They  moved  in  pro- 
cession about  the  church,  bearing  torches  in  their  hands, 
and  keeping  time  to  beautiful  chants  from  an  invisible  choir. 

Raphael  left  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  pictures  and 
five  hundred  and  seventy-six  studies  and  drawings,  and  all 


Fig.  44.— Saint  Cecilia  Listening  to  the  Singing  ut  Anglls.     By  A'.t/AueL 


Il8  PAINTING. 

done  in  so  short  a  life.  In  considering  him  and  the  story  of 
his  life,  we  find  that  it  was  not  any  one  trait  or  talent  that 
made  his  greatness  ;  but  it  was  the  rare  union  of  gifts  of 
genius  with  a  personal  charm  that  won  all  hearts  to  him. 
His  famous  picture  of"  St.  Cecilia,"  with  its  sweetness  of 
expression  and  lovely  color — its  union  of  earthly  beauty 
with  spiritual  feeling,  is  a  symbol  of  the  harmonious  and 
varied  qualities  of  this  prince  of  painters  (Fig.  44). 

GlULlO  Romano  (1492-1556)  was  the  favorite  pupil  of 
Raphael,  and  the  heir  of  a  part  of  his  estate  ;  but  his  re- 
maining works  would  not  repay  us  for  a  study  of  them. 

Of  course,  the  influence  of  so  great  a  master  as  Raphael 
was  felt  outside  of  his  own  school,  and,  in  a  sense,  all  Italian 
art  of  his  time  was  modified  by  him.  His  efff^ct  was  very 
noticeable  upon  a  Sienese  painter,  B.\zzi,  or  Razzi,  called 
II  Sodoma  (1477-1549),  who  went  to  Rome  and  was  un- 
der the  immediate  influence  of  Raphael's  works.  He  was 
almost  unrivalled  in  his  power  to  represent  beautiful  female 
heads. 

His  important  works  were  frescoes,  many  of  which  are 
in  the  churches  of  Siena.  Doubtless  Bazzi  was  lost  in  the 
shadow  of  the  great  Raphael,  and  had  he  existed  at  a  time  a 
little  more  distant  from  that  great  man,  he  would  have  been 
more  famous  in  his  life. 

During  the  sixteenth  century  the  Venetian  school  reached 
its  highest  excellence.  The  great  difference  between  it  and 
the  school  of  Florence  was,  that  the  latter  made  beauty  of 
form  the  one  object  of  its  art,  while  the  Venetian  painters 
combined  with  grace  and  ease  the  added  charm  of  rich, 
brilliant  color. 

Giorgio  Barbarelli,  called  Giorgione  (1477-1511), 
was  the  first  great  artist  of  Venice  who  cast  off  the  rigid 
manner  of  the  Bellini  school,  and  used  his  brush  and  colors 
freely,  guided  only  by  his  own  ideas,  and  inspired  by  his 
own  genius. 


THE   VENETIAN   SCHOOL.  I  I9 

He  was  born  at  Castclfranco,  and  was  early  distinguished 
for  his  personal  beauty.  Giorgione  means  George  the 
Great,  and  this  title  was  given  him  on  account  of  his  noble 
figure.  He  was  fond  of  music,  played  the  lute  well,  and  com- 
posed many  of  the  songs  he  sang  ;  he  had  also  an  intense 
love  of  beauty — in  short,  his  whole  nature  was  full  of  senti- 
ment and  harmony,  and  with  all  these  gifts  he  was  a  man 
of  pure  life.  Mrs.  Jameson  says  of  him  :  "  If  Raphael  be 
the  Shakspeare,  then  Giorgione  maybe  styled  the  Byron  of 
painting." 

There  is  little  that  can  be  told  of  his  life.  He  was  de- 
voted to  his  art,  and  passionately  in  love  with  a  young  girl, 
of  whom  he  told  one  of  his  artist  friends,  Morto  da  Feltri. 
This  last  proved  a  traitor  to  Giorgione,  for  he  too  admired 
the  same  girl,  and  induced  her  to  forsake  Giorgione,  and  go 
away  with  him.  The  double  treachery  of  his  beloved  and 
his  friend  caused  the  painter  such  grief  that  he  could  not 
overcome  his  sadness,  and  when  the  plague  visited  Venice 
in  151 1,  he  fell  a  victim  to  it  in  the  very  flower  of  his  age. 

Much  of  the  work  of  Giorgione  has  disappeared,  for  he 
executed  frescoes  which  the  damp  atmosphere  of  Venice 
has  destroyed  or  so  injured  that  they  are  of  no  value.  His 
smaller  pictures  were  not  numerous,  and  there  is  much  dis- 
pute as  to  the  genuineness  of  those  that  are  called  by  his 
name.  He  painted  very  few  historical  subjects  ;  his  works 
are  principally  portraits,  sibyls,  and  religious  pictures. 
Among  the  last,  the  altar  piece  at  Castelfranco  holds  the 
first  place  ;  it  represents  the  Virgin  and  Child  between  Sts. 
Francis  and  Liberale,  and  was  painted  before  1504. 

Giorgione  gave  an  elevated  tone  to  his  heads  and  figures  ; 
it  seemed  as  if  he  painted  only  the  beings  of  a  superior  race, 
and  as  if  they  must  all  be  fitted  to  do  great  deeds.  His 
fanc}'  was  very  fruitful,  and  in  some  of  his  works  he  pictured 
demons,  sea  monsters,  dogs,  apes,  and  such  creatures  with 
great  effect.     In  clearness  and  warmth  of  color  Giorgione 


I20  PAINTING. 

is  at  the  head  of  the  Venetian  painters;  in  truth,  it  seems 
as  if  the  color  was  within  them  and  showed  itself  without  in 
a  deep,  luminous  glow. 

The  most  important  of  Giorgione's  scholars  was  called 
Fra  Sebastiano  del  Piombo  ;  his  real  name  was  Luciani, 
and  he  was  a  native  of  Venice  (1485- 1547).  This  artist  ex- 
celled in  his  coloring  and  in  the  effect  he  gave  to  the  at- 
mosphere of  his  work,  making  it  a  broad  chiaro-scuro, 
or  clear-obscure,  as  it  really  means.  This  is  an  art  term 
which  is  frequently  used,  and  denotes  a  sort  of  mistiness 
which  has  some  light  in  it,  and  is  gradually  shaded  off, 
either  into  a  full  light  or  a  deep  shadow.  But  from  the 
earliest  efforts  of  this  artist,  it  was  plain  that  he  had  no  gift 
of  composition,  neither  could  he  give  his  pictures  an  ele- 
vated tone  or  effect.  For  this  reason  his  portraits  were  his 
best  works,  and  these  were  very  fine. 

A  portrait  of  his  in  the  National  Gallery,  London,  and 
another  in  the  Stadel  Gallery  at  Frankfort,  are  both  said  to 
be  of  Giulia  Gonzaga,  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her  day 
in  Italy.  In  1553,  Ippolito  de  Medici,  who  was  madly  in 
love  with  her,  sent  Sebastian  with  an  armed  force  to  Fondi 
to  paint  her  portrait ;  it  was  finished  in  a  month,  and  was 
said  to  be  the  best  ever  painted  by  Sebastian.  It  was  sent 
to  France  as  a  gift  to  Francis  I.,  and  its  present  abiding- 
place  is  not  known. 

While  Raphael  was  at  the  height  of  his  fame  in  Rome, 
the  banker  Chigi  invited  Sebastian  to  that  city,  and  in  the 
Farnesina  he  painted  works  which  were  very  inferior  beside 
Raphael's.  Then  Sebastian  tried  to  improve  by  study 
under  Michael  Angelo.  This  last  great  master  would  not 
compete  with  Raphael  himself,  but  he  was  very  jealous  of 
the  fame  of  the  younger  man,  and  it  is  said  that  he  aided 
Sebastian,  and  even  made  his  designs  for  him,  in  the  hopes 
that  thus  he  might  eclipse  Raphael.  We  have  spoken  of 
one  large  picture  of  the    "Raising   of   Lazarus"   said  to 


THE    VENETIAN    SCEIOOL.  121 

have  been  made  from  Michael  Angelo's  design,  which  Se- 
bastian colored  ;  it  was  painted  in  competition  with  Ra- 
phael's Transfiguration,  and  even  beside  that  most  splendid 
work  the  Lazarus  was  much  admired.  This  is  now  in  the 
National  Gallery,  London. 

After  Raphael's  death  Sebastian  was  called  the  first 
painter  in  Rome,  and  was  made  a  piovibatore.  It  was 
necessary  to  be  an  ecclesiastic  to  hold  this  office,  and  it  is 
on  account  of  this  that  he  gave  up  his  real  name,  and  became 
a  friar.  He  wrote  to  Michael  Angelo  :  "If  you  were  to  see 
me  as  an  honorable  lord,  you  would  laugh  at  me,  I  am  the 
finest  ecclesiastic  in  all  Rome.  Such  a  thing  had  never 
come  into  my  mind.  But  God  be  praised  in  eternity  !  He 
seemed  especially  to  have  thus  decreed  it.  And,  therefore, 
so  be  it."  It  is  not  strange  that  he  should  have  been  so 
resigned  to  a  high  office  and  a  salary  of  eight  hundred 
scudi  a  year ! 

Another  Venetian,  of  the  same  time  with  Giorgione, 
was  Jacopo  Palma,  called  II  VecCHIO,  or  the  elder  (about 
1480-1528).  He  was  born  near  Bergamo,  but  as  an  artist 
he  was  a  Venetian.  We  do  not  know  with  whom  he 
studied,  and  he  was  not  a  very  great  man,  nor  was  he  em- 
ployed by  the  state — but  he  dwelt  much  in  the  palaces  of 
noble  families  and  did  much  work  for  them.  When  he  died 
he  left  forty-four  unfinished  paintings. 

His  female  figures  are  his  best  works,  and  one  of  his 
fine  pictures  at  Dresden,  called  the  "  Three  Graces,"  is  said 
to  represent  his  daughters.  The  work  which  is  usually 
called  his  masterpiece  is  an  altar-piece  in  the  Church  of 
Santa  Maria  Formosa,  in  Venice  ;  the  St.  Barbara  in  the 
centre  is  very  beautiful,  and  is  said  to  have  been  painted 
from  his  daughter  Violante. 

The  greatest  master  of  the  Venetian  school  is  called 
Titian,  though  his  real  name  was  TiZIANO  Vecelli,  and 
sometimes  Cadore  is  added  to  this,  because  of  his  having 


Fig.  45- — Portrait  of  Titian.     From  the  etching  by  A^ostino  Caracci. 


TiriAN.  123 

been  born  in  that  village  (1477-1576).  His  family  was  noble 
and  their  castle  was  called  Lodore,  and  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  large  estate  surrounded  by  small  houses  ;  in  one  of  these 
last,  which  is  still  preserved,  the  painter  was  born. 

As  a  child  he  was  fond  of  drawing,  and  so  anxious  to 
color  his  pictures  that  he  squeezed  the  juices  from  certain 
flowers,  and  used  them  as  paints.  When  but  nine  years  old 
he  was  taken  to  Venice  to  study,  and  from  this  time  was 
called  a  Venetian  ;  he  is  said  by  some  writers  to  be  the 
first  portrait-painter  of  the  world. 

He  first  studied  under  Sebastian  Zuccato,  and  then 
under  the  Bellini,  where  he  was  a  fellow-pupil  with  Gior- 
gione,  and  the  two  became  devoted  friends,  at  the  time 
when  they  were  just  coming  to  be  men  and  were  filled  with 
glad  hopes  of  future  greatness.  After  a  time,  when  Titian 
was  about  thirty  years  old,  the  two  were  employed  on 
the  "  Fondaco  dei  Tedeschi,"  or  the  exchange  for  German 
merchants  in  Venice.  Here  the  frescoes  of  Titian  were 
more  admired  than  those  of  Giorgione,  and  the  latter  be- 
came so  jealous  that  they  ceased  to  live  together,  as  they 
had  done,  and  there  is  cause  for  believing  that  they  were 
never  good  friends  again.  But  after  the  early  death  of 
Giorgione,  Titian  completed  the  works  he  had  left  unfin- 
ished, and,  no  doubt,  sincerely  mourned  for  him. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  pictures  by  Titian  is  the 
Presentation  in  the  Temple,  which  was  painted  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Charit)',  called  in  Italian  "  La 
Scuola  della  Carita  ;  "  this  church  is  now  the  Academy  of 
Fine  Arts  in  Venice,  where  the  picture  still  remains.  It 
represents  the  Virgin  Mary  when  three  years  old  entering 
the  temple  and  the  high  priest  receiving  her  at  the  entrance. 
All  around  below  the  steps  is  a  company  of  friends  who 
have  been  invited  by  her  father  and  mother  to  attend  them 
on  this  important  occasion.  The  picture  is  full  of  life  and 
action,   and    is  gorgeous    in    its   coloring.      Several   of  the 


124  PAINTING. 

figures  are  said  to  be  portraits,  one  being  that  of  Titian 
himself. 

Among  his  female  portraits,  that  of  Caterina  Cornaro, 
Queen  of  Cyprus,  is  celebrated  ;  also  one  called  "  Flora  ;  " 
both  of  these  are  in  the  Uffizi  Galler)',  in  Florence,  while 
near  by.  in  the  Pitti,  is  "  La  Bella,"  or  the  beautiful  lady 
of  Titian.  He  also  made  many  portraits  of  his  daughter 
Lavinia,  who  was  v^ery  beautiful  ;  sometimes  he  represented 
her  as  a  fruit  or  flower-girl,  again  as  Herodias  and  in  va- 
rious characters  (Fig.  46).  One  of  the  finest  of  these  is 
at  Berlin,  where  she  is  in  a  very  rich  dress,  and  holds  up  a 
plate  of  fruit  ;   it  is  one  of  his  best  works. 

Titian's  fame  extended  throughout  Italy,  and  even  all 
over  Europe,  and  the  Duke  of  Ferrara  invited  him  to  his 
court.  The  artist  went,  and  there  painted  two  very  famous 
mythological  pictures,  besides  portraits  and  other  works. 
One  of  these  important  subjects  was  "  Bacchus  and  Ari- 
adne," and  it  is  now  in  the  National  Galler}',  London  ;  the 
second  was  a  Venus,  surrounded  by  more  than  sixt}'  chil- 
dren and  cupids  ;  some  are  climbing  trees,  others  shoot  ar- 
rows in  the  air,  while  still  others  twine  their  arms  around 
each  other  ;   tlus  is  now  in  Madrid. 

While  at  Ferrara  the  Pope,  Leo  X.,  asked  Titian  to  go 
to  Rome  ;  but  he  longed  for  his  home — he  wished  for  his 
yearly  visit  to  Cadore,  and  he  declined  the  honorable  invi- 
tation, and  returned  to  Venice.  In  1530  Titian's  wife  died, 
leaving  him  with  two  sons,  Pomponio  and  Orazio,  and  his 
daughter,  Lavinia.  In  this  same  sad  year  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  and  Pope  Clement  VII.  met  at  Bologna.  All 
the  most  brilliant  men  of  Germany  and  Italy  were  also 
there,  and  Titian  was  summoned  to  paint  portraits  of  the 
two  great  heads  of  Church  and  State,  and  of  man}-  of  the 
notable  men  among  their  followers. 

When  the  painter  returned  to  Venice  he  was  loaded 
with  honors  and  riches.      He  bought  a  new  house  at  Beri- 


Fig.  46 — PoKTKAir  ok  Lavinia.     By  Titian. 


126  PAINTING. 

grande,  opposite  the  island  of  Alurano  ;  it  commanded  fine 
views  and  its  garden  was  beautiful.  The  landscapes  of  his 
pictures  soon  grew  better  than  they  had  been,  and  no  won- 
der, when  he  could  always  see  the  Friuli  Alps  in  the  dis- 
tance with  their  snow-capped  peaks  rising  to  the  clouds  ; 
nearer  him  was  the  Murano,  like  another  city  with  its 
towers  and  domes,  and  then  the  canals,  which  at  night  were 
gay  with  lighted  gondolas  bearing  fair  ladies  hither  and 
thither.  Here  Titian  entertained  many  people,  and  some 
of  them  were  exalted  in  station.  The  house  was  called 
"  Casa  Grande,"  and  on  one  occasion,  when  a  cardinal  and 
others  invited  themselves  to  dine  with  him.  Titian  flung  a 
purse  to  his  steward,  saying,  "Now  prepare  a  feast,  since 
all  the  world  dines  with  me." 

While  living  at  "  Casa  Grande,"  the  artist  saw  the  most 
glorious  years  of  his  hfe.  It  seemed  that  every  person  of 
note  in  all  Europe,  both  men  and  women,  desired  their 
portraits  at  his  hand.  One  only,  Cosmo  I.,  Grand  Duke  of 
Florence,  refused  to  sit  to  him.  If  these  pictures  could  be 
collected  together,  most  of  the  famous  persons  of  his  time 
would  be  represented  in  them. 

After  he  was  sixty  years  old  Titian  made  a  second  jour- 
ney to  Ferrara,  Urbino,  and  Bologna.  This  time  he  painted 
a  portrait  of  Charles  V.,  with  a  favorite  dog  by  his  side. 
After  this,  in  1545,  at  an  invitation  from  Pope  Paul  III., 
the  great  master  went  to  Rome  ;  while  there  he  painted 
many  wonderful  pictures — among  them,  one  of  the  pope 
with  his  two  grandsons  was  very  remarkable  ;  it  is  now  in 
the  Museum  of  Naples.  lie  left  Rome  when  he  was  sixt\-- 
nine  years  old. 

In  1548  Charles  V.  summoned  Titian  to  Augsburg,  and 
while  there  made  him  a  count,  and  gave  him  a  yearly  pen- 
sion of  two  hundred  gold  ducats.  The  emperor  was  very 
fond  of  Titian,  and  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  with  him.  On 
t)nc  occasion  the  painter  dropped  his  brush  ;    the  emperor 


TITIAN.  127 

picked  it  up,  and  returned  it  to  him.  The  etiquette  of  courts 
forbade  any  one  to  receive  such  a  service  from  the  sover- 
eign, and  Titian  was  much  embarrassed,  when  Charles  said, 
"  Titian  is  worthy  to  be  served  by  Cccsar,"  this  being  one 
of  the  great  ruler's  titles.  Charles  continued  his  favors  to 
Titian  through  life,  and  when  he  resigned  his  crown,  and 
retired  to  the  monastery  of  Yuste,  he  took  nine  pictures  by 
this  master  into  his  solitude.  One  of  these,  a  portrait  of  the 
Empress  Isabella,  was  so  hung  that  the  emperor  gazed 
upon  it  when  dying  ;  this  is  now  in  the  museum  at  Madrid, 
where  are  also  many  fine  works  by  Titian,  for  Philip  II. 
was  his  patron  as  his  father  had  been. 

When  eighty-five  years  old  he  finished  his  wonderful 
picture  of  the  "Martyrdom  of  St.  Lawrence"  for  the 
Church  of  the  Jesuits  in  Venice,  and  his  old  age  was  one  of 
strength  and  mental  clearness.  Though  he  had  seen  great 
prosperity  and  received  many  honors,  he  had  not  escaped 
sorrow.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  his  sister  Orsa,  who 
was  very  dear  to  him,  had  kept  his  house  ;  she  too  sickened 
and  died  ;  his  son  Pomponio  was  a  worthless  fellow,  and 
caused  him  much  grief;  Lavinia  had  married,  and  the  old 
man  was  left  with  Orazio  alone,  who  was  a  dutiful  son.  He 
also  was  an  artist,  but  painted  so  frequently  on  the  same 
canvas  with  his  father  that  his  works  cannot  be  spoken  of 
separately. 

At  length  Titian's  Avork  began  to  show  his  years,  and 
some  one  told  him  that  his  "Annunciation  "  did  not  resemble 
his  usual  pictures.  He  was  very  angry,  and,  seizing  a  pencil, 
wrote  upon  it,  "  Tiziajuis  /exit  fecit'" — meaning  to  say  by 
this,  "  Truly,  Titian  did  this  !  "  When  he  was  ninety-six 
years  old  he  was  visited  by  Henry  III.  of  France,  at- 
tended by  a  train  of  princes  and  nobles.  The  aged  painter 
appeared  with  such  grace  and  dignity  as  to  excite  the  ad- 
miration of  all,  and  when  the  king  asked  the  price  of  some 
pictures,  Titian   presented   them  to  him  as  one  sovereign 


128  PAINTING. 

might  make  a  gift  to  another  who  was  his  equal,  and  no 
more. 

In  1576  the  plague  broke  out  in  Venice,  and  both  Titian 
and  Orazio  fell  victims  to  it.  Naturally  the  man  of  ninety- 
eight  years  could  not  recover,  and,  though  Orazio  was  borne 
off  to  the  hospital  and  cared  for  as  well  as  possible,  he  also 
died.  After  Titian  was  left  alone  robbers  entered  his  house 
while  he  still  lived,  and  carried  away  jewels,  monej',  and 
pictures.  He  died  August  27th,  and  all  Venice  mourned 
for  him. 

There  was  a  law  that  no  person  who  died  of  the  plague 
in  Venice  should  be  buried  within  the  city  ;  but  Titian  was 
so  much  honored  and  beloved  that  exception  was  made,  and 
he  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  Gloriosa  de 
Frari  ;  or  as  it  is  usually  called,  "the  Frari."  He  had 
painted  a  great  picture  of  the  Assumption  for  this  church, 
which  has  since  been  removed  to  the  Academy  of  Venice  ; 
but  another  work  of  his,  called  the  Pesaro  altar-piece,  still 
remains  near  his  grave.  His  burial-place  is  marked  by  a 
simple  tablet,  inscribed  thus  :  "  Here  lies  the  great  Tiziano 
di  Vecelli,  rival  of  Zeuxis  and  Apelles." 

A  little  more  than  two  centuries  after  his  death  the 
citizens  of  Venice  determined  to  erect  a  monument  to 
Titian,  and  Canova  made  a  design  for  it ;  but  political 
troubles  interfered,  and  prevented  the  execution  of  the  plan. 
In  1852  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  Ferdinand  I.,  placed  a 
costly  monument  near  his  grave  ;  it  consists  of  a  Corinthian 
canopy  beneath  which  is  a  sitting  statue  of  the  painter,  while 
several  other  allegorical  figures  are  added  to  increase  its 
magnificence.  This  monument  was  dedicated  with  impos- 
ing ceremonies,  and  it  is  curious  to  note  that  not  far  away 
from  it  the  sculptor  Canova  is  buried,  and  his  own  monument 
is  made  from  the  design  which  he  made  for  that  of  Titian. 

Some  writers  consider  the  "  Entombment  of  Christ,"  in 
the  Manfrini  Palace,  as  the  greatest  work  of  Titian.     At  all 


TITIAN.  129 

events,  it  is  the  best  existing  representation  of  this  subject, 
and  is  a  picture  which  has  had  a  great  effect  upon  art  ;  its 
chief  feature  is  the  general  expression  of  sorrow  which  per- 
vades the  whole  work. 

Titian  gave  a  new  importance  to  landscape-painting  by 
making  backgrounds  to  his  pictures  from  natural  scenery, 
and  that  not  as  if  it  was  merely  for  the  sake  of  a  background, 
but  in  a  manner  which  showed  his  love  for  Nature,  and,  in 
fact,  he  often  rendered  it  with  poetical  significance. 

The  works  of  Titian  are  very  seldom  sold.  One  subject 
which  he  oftentimes  repeated  was  that  of  "  Danae  "  with 
the  shower  of  gold  falling  about  her  ;  one  of  these  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Emperor  of  Russia  for  six  hundred  thousand 
francs.  One  of  the  most  important  of  his  religious  pictures 
was  that  of  "  St.  Peter  Martyr;"  this  was  burned  in  the 
Church  of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo  in  Venice  in  1868.  An  ex- 
cellent copy  of  it  had  been  for  a  long  time  in  the  Museum 
of  Florence,  and  this  was  presented  to  the  Venetians  in  or- 
der to  repair  their  loss  as  far  as  possible.  Victor  Amadeus 
of  Sardinia  presented  nine  pictures  by  Titian  to  the  Duke 
of  Marlborough,  and  these  were  all  destroyed  in  i86r  when 
the  chateau  of  Blenheim  was  burned.  Kugler  says  :  "  In 
the  multifariousness  of  his  powers  Titian  takes  precedence 
of  all  other  painters  of  his  school ;  indeed,  there  is  scarcely 
a  line  of  art  which  in  his  long  and  very  active  life  he  did 
not  enrich."  His  last  work  was  not  quite  completed  by 
himself,  and  is  now  in  the  Academy  of  Venice.  It  is  a  Piet^l, 
and  although  the  hand  of  ninety-eight  years  guided  the 
brush  uncertainly,  yet  it  has  the  wonderful  light  this  master 
threw  around  his  figures,  and  the  whole  is  conceived  with  his 
accustomed  animation. 

The  pupils  and  followers  of  Titian  were  too  numerous  to 

be  spoken  of  one  by  one,  and  none  of  them  were  so  great 

as  to   require  their  mention  in  detail  here  ;  yet  they  were 

so  good  that,  while  the  other  schools  of  Italy  were  decreas- 

9 


130  PAINTING. 

ing  in  importance  during  the  sixteenth  century,  that  of 
Venice  was  flourishing,  and  some  great  masters  still  ex- 
isted there.  Among  these  was  Jacopo  Robusti  (1512- 
1594),  who  was  called,  and  is  best  known  as  Tintoretto, 
which  name  was  given  him  because  his  father  was  a  dyer. 
He  studied  under  Titian  for  a  time,  and  then  he  attempted 
to  follow  Michael  Angelo,  and  it  is  said  that  his  motto  was, 
"The  coloring  of  Titian,  the  drawing  of  Michael  Angelo." 
His  best  pictures  are  slightly  treated,  and  others  are 
coarse  and  unfinished  in  the  manner  of  painting.  His  por- 
traits seem  to  be  his  best  works,  probably  because  they  are 
more  carefully  finished. 

Several  works  of  his  are  simply  enormous  ;  one  is  sev- 
enty-four by  thirty  feet  ;  the  school  of  St.  Roch  has  fifty- 
seven  large  pictures  by  him,  in  many  of  which  the  figures 
are  of  life  size.  His  two  most  famous  works  are  the  "  Mir- 
acle of  St.  Mark,"  in  the  Academy  of  Venice,  and  the 
'•'Crucifixion,"  in  the  school  of  St.  Roch.  The  last  is,  for 
every  reason,  his  best  work  ;  there  are  crowds  of  people  in 
it,  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  while  their  faces  show  every 
possible  kind  of  expression,  and  their  movements  are  infin- 
itely varied.  The  immense  painting  mentioned  above  is  in 
the  Doge's  Palace,  and  is  called  "Paradise."  His  daugh- 
ter, Marietta  Robusti  (i 560-1 590),  was  a  pupil  of  her 
father's,  and  became  so  good  a  portrait-painter  that  she  was 
invited  to  the  Court  of  Spain  by  Phillip  H.,  but  her  father 
could  not  consent  to  a  separation  from  her.  Some  excel- 
lent pictures  of  hers  still  exist,  and  her  portraits  of  Marco 
dei  Vescovi  and  the  antiquarian  Strada  were  celebrated 
pictures.  When  the  Emperor  Maximilian  and  the  Arch- 
duke Ferdinand,  each  in  turn,  desired  her  presence  at  their 
courts,  her  father  hastened  to  marry  her  to  Mario  Augusti, 
a  wealthy  German  jeweller,  upon  the  condition  that  she 
should  remain  in  her  father's  house.  She  was  celebrated 
for  her  beauty,  had  fine   musical  talents,  and  was  sprightly 


THE   VENETIAN    SCHOOL.  I3I 

and  enthusiastic  ;  her  father  was  so  fond  of  having  her  with 
him  that  he  sometimes  allowed  her  to  dress  as  a  boy,  and 
go  with  him  to  study  where  young  girls  were  not  admitted. 

When  but  thirty  years  old  Marietta  Robusti  died  ;  she 
was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria  dell  Orto,  where 
are  several  works  by  her  father.  Both  he  and  her  husband 
mourned  for  her  all  their  remaining  days.  Many  pictures 
of  Tintoretto  painting  his  daughter's  portrait  after  her 
death  have  been  made  by  later  artists. 

Paoli  Cagliari,  or  Caliari,  called  Paul  Veronese 
(i 528-1 588),  was  born  at  Verona,  but  as  he  lived  mostly  at 
Venice,  he  belongs  to  the  school  of  that  city.  He  was  an 
imitator  of  Titian,  whom  he  did  not  equal;  still  he  was  a 
fine  painter.  His  excellences  were  in  his  harmonious  color, 
his  good  arrangement  of  his  figures  in  the  foreground, 
and  his  fine  architectural  backgrounds.  He  tried  to  make 
his  works  magnificent,  and  to  do  this  he  painted  festive 
scenes,  with  many  figures  in  splendid  costumes.  He  is 
buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Sebastian,  where  there  are 
many  of  his  works. 

In  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre  is  his  "  Marriage  at  Cana." 
It  is  thirty  by  twenty  feet  in  size,  and  many  of  its  figures 
are  portraits.  His  pictures  are  numerous  and  are  seen  in 
the  European  galleries.  The  "  Family  of  Darius,"  in  the 
National  Gallery,  London,  cost  that  institution  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  ;  it  was  formerly  in  the  Pisani  Palace,  Venice,  and 
was  said  to  have  been  left  there  by  Veronese  as  payment 
for  his  entertainment  during  a  visit  he  had  made  in  the  pal- 
ace. In  1868,  at  the  Demidofif  sale,  a  portrait  of  his  daugh- 
ter sold  for  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  twent}'-four 
pounds. 

At  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  a  family  of  a 
father  and  four  sons  were  busy  painting  what  may  right- 
fully  be   termed   the  earliest  ^r;/rt'  pictures  of  Italy.      This 


132  PAINTING. 

term  is  used  to  denote  pictures  that  stand  between  histor- 
ical and  utterly  imaginary  subjects  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  rep- 
resentation of  something  that  seems  real  to  us  because  it 
is  so  familiar  to  our  imagination,  or  because  it  is  some- 
thing that  we  know  might  have  happened,  that  it  has  all 
the  naturalness  of  an  actual  reproduction  of  a  fact.  There 
may  be  interior  or  landscape  ^^-z/rt'  pictures.  The  first  rep- 
resent familiar  in-door  scenes — the  latter  are  landscapes 
with  animals  or  figures  to  give  a  life  element  and  to  tell  a 
story. 

The  name  of  the  family  of  which  I  speak  was  Da  Ponte, 
but  it  was  called  Bassano,  from  the  birth-place  of  JACOPO 
DA  PoNTE  Bassano  (15 10-1592),  the  father,  who  was  the 
most  important  of  the  family.  He  studied  in  Venice, 
but  returned  to  his  native  town.  His  portraits  are  fine  ; 
among  them  are  those  of  the  Doge  of  Venice,  Ariosto, 
and  Tasso.  His  works  are  very  numerous  and  are  seen 
in  all  galleries.  He  introduced  landscapes  and  animals  into 
most  of  his  pictures,  sometimes  with  great  impropriety. 

We  come  now  to  Antonio  Allegri,  called  Correggio 
(1493-1534),  who  was  born  at  the  end  of  the  fifteenth,  but 
did  his  work  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
His  name  of  Correggio  is  that  of  his  birth-place,  and  as  he 
was  not  born  at  any  of  the  great  art  centres,  and  did  not 
adopt  the  precise  manner  of  any  school,  he,  with  his  fol- 
lowers, stand  by  themselves,  and  yet.  because  his  principal 
works  were  done  at  Parma,  he  is  sometimes  said  to  be  of 
the  school  of  Parma. 

When  Correggio  was  thirteen  years  old  he  had  learned 
to  draw  well.  He  studied  under  Andrea  Mantegna  and 
his  son  Francesco  Mantegna.  From  these  masters  he 
learned  to  be  very  skilful  in  drawing,  especially  in  fore- 
shortening, or  in  representing  objects  seen  aslant.  But 
though  he  learned  much  of  the  science  of  art  from  his 
teachers,  his  grace    and  movement  aiul   his  exquisite  light 


Fig.  47.  — PoKTkAll     OF    CUKKEGGIO. 


1 34  PAINTING. 

and  shade  are  all  his  own,  for  they  did  not  possess  these 
qualities. 

Foreshortening  is  so  important  that  I  must  try  to  ex- 
plain it;  and,  as  Correggio  is  said  to  be  the  greatest  master 
in  this  art  since  the  days  of  the  Greeks,  it  is  quite  proper 
for  me  to  speak  of  it  in  connection  with  him.  The  art  of 
foreshortening  is  that  which  makes  different  objects  painted 
on  a  plane  or  flat  surface  appear  as  if  they  were  at  different 
distances  from  the  eye  of  the  person  who  is  looking  at  the 
picture,  or  as  scenes  in  nature  appear,  where  one  part  is 
much  farther  off  than  another.  To  produce  this  effect  it  is 
often  necessary  to  make  an  object — let  us  say,  for  example, 
an  arm  or  a  leg,  look  as  if  it  was  stretched  forward,  out  of 
the  canvas,  directly  toward  the  person  who  is  looking  at  it. 
Now,  the  truth  is  that  in  order  to  produce  this  effect  the 
object  is  often  thrown  backward  in  the  drawing;  sometimes 
also  it  is  doubled  up  in  an  unnatural  manner,  and  occupies 
a  small  space  on  the  canvas,  while  it  appears  to  be  of  life 
size  when  one  looks  at  it.  A  "Christ  in  Glory"  painted 
by  Correggio  in  the  cupola  of  the  Church  of  San  Giovanni 
Evangelista,  in  Parma,  is  a  fine  piece  of  foreshortening. 
The  head  is  so  thrown  back,  and  the  knees  arc  so  thrown 
forward,  that  the  whole  figure  seems  to  be  of  life  size  ;  yet 
if  the  space  from  the  top  of  the  head  to  the  soles  of  the  feet 
were  measured,  it  would  be  found  to  be  much  less  than  the 
height  of  the  same  figun;  would  be  if  it  were  drawn  in  an 
erect  position. 

I  have  already  explained  the  meaning  of  chiaro-scuro, 
and  this  delicate  manner  of  passing  from  light  to  shade  was 
another  quality  in  the  works  of  Correggio.  It  is  even  seen 
in  his  early  works,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  beautiful  Madonna 
di  San  Francesco,  now  at  Dresden,  which  he  painted  when 
he  was  but  eighteen  years  old. 

When  this  master  was  twenty-six  years  old  he  married 
Girolama  Nuilini,  and  about  the  same   time   he   was   sunv 


CORREGGIO.  135 

moned  to  Mantua  by  the  Duke  Federigo  Gonzaga.  During 
eleven  years  after  his  marriage  he  was  occupied  with  works 
in  Mantua,  and  with  his  great  frescoes  at  Parma.  In  1530 
he  returned  to  Correggio,  and  there  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  That  he  held  a  high  position  is  proved  by  cer- 
tain records  of  his  life,  among  which  is  the  fact  that  in  1533 
he  was  invited  to  be  one  of  the  witnesses  of  the  marriage  of 
the  Lord  of  Correggio. 

It  is  said  that  when  this  painter  saw  one  of  the  great 
works  of  Raphael,  he  exclaimed,  enthusiastically  and  thank- 
fully, "I,  too,  am  a  painter  !  "  and  no  doubt  he  then  felt 
himself  moved  to  attempt  such  works  as  should  make  his 
name  known  to  all  the  world  through  future  centuries. 
When  Titian  saw  Correggio's  frescoes  at  Parma,  he  said  : 
"  Were  I  not  Titian,  I  should  wish  to  be  Correggio."  An- 
nibale  Caracci,  also  a  great  artist,  said  of  Correggio,  more 
than  a  hundred  years  after  his  death,  "  He  was  the  only 
painter  !  "  and  declared  that  the  children  he  painted  seemed 
to  breathe  and  smile  with  such  grace  that  one  was  forced 
to  smile  and  be  happy  with  them. 

In  1534  Correggio  died  of  a  fever,  and  was  buried  in  his 
family  tomb  in  the  Franciscan  Convent  of  his  native  city. 
His  grave  is  simply  marked  with  his  name  and  the  date  of 
his  death. 

Some  of  his  oil-paintings  are  very  famous.  One  at 
Dresden,  representing  the  "  Nativity  of  the  Saviour,"  is 
called  the  "  Notte,"  or  night,  because  the  only  light  on  the 
picture  comes  from  the  halo  of  glory  around  the  head  of  the 
Holy  Child.  Correggio's  "  Reading  Magdalen  "  is  in  the 
same  gallery  ;  probably  no  one  picture  exists  which  has 
been  more  universally  admired  than  this. 

There  was  a  large  work  of  his  representing  "  The  Shep- 
herds Adoring  the  Infant  Saviour,"  at  Seville,  in  Spain. 
During  the  Peninsular  War  (1808-14)  the  people  of  that 
city  sent  many  valuable  things  to  Cadiz  for  safety,  and  this 


CORREGGIO.  137 

picture,  on  account  of  its  size,  was  cut  in  two.  By  some 
accident  the  two  parts  were  separated  ;  but  both  were  sold, 
and  the  purchaser  of  each  was  promised  that  the  other 
portion  should  be  given  him.  From  this  much  trouble  arose, 
because  both  purchasers  determined  to  keep  what  they  had, 
and  each  claimed  that  the  whole  belonged  to  him,  and  as 
they  were  equally  obstinate,  the  two  parts  of  the  same  work 
have  never  been  reunited.  Fortunately,  each  half  makes  a 
picture  by  itself. 

The  frescoes  at  Parma  are  the  greatest  works  of  this 
master,  and  it  is  very  interesting  to  visit  that  quaint  old 
city  ;  his  works  are  in  the  Cathedral,  the  Church  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist,  and  in  the  parlor  of  the  Convent  of  the 
Benedictine  Nuns,  This  last  is  a  wonderful  room.  The  ceil- 
ing is  arched  and  high,  and  painted  to  represent  an  arbor  of 
vines  with  sixteen  oval  openings,  out  of  which  frolicsome 
children  are  peeping,  as  if,  in  passing  around  behind  the 
vines,  they  had  stopped  to  look  down  into  the  room.  The 
pictures  here  will  make  you  understand  the  effect  (Figs.  48 
and  49).  Beneath  each  of  these  openings  or  lunettes  is  a 
half-circular  picture  of  some  mythological  story  or  person- 
age. Upon  the  wall  of  the  parlor,  above  the  mantel,  there 
is  a  picture  of  Diana,  the  goddess  of  the  moon  and  the  pro- 
tector of  young  animals,  which  is  a  beautiful  picture. 

When  Correggio  worked  on  the  frescoes  at  the  Church 
of  St.  John,  he  lived  much  in  the  monastery  connected  with 
it.  The  monks  became  very  fond  of  him,  and  made  him  a 
member  of  the  Congregation  Cassinensi  ;  the  poet  Tasso 
also  was  a  member  of  this  fraternity.  This  membership 
gave  him  the  right  to  share  in  the  masses,  prayers,  and 
alms  of  the  community,  and  after  his  death  the  same  offices 
for  the  repose  of  his  soul  would  be  performed  as  if  he  had 
been  a  true  monk. 

The  works  of  Correggio  are  very  rarely  sold.  The  ma- 
donna in   the   National  Gallery,   London,   known  as   ''La 


"EARLY    MASTERS" — "MANNERISTS."  I  39 

Vicrgc  an  Paiiier,"  was  formerly  in  the  Royal  Gallery  at 
Madrid.  Durinij  the  French  invasion  of  Spain,  Mr.  Wal- 
lace, an  English  artist,  obtained  it.  It  is  painted  on  a  panel, 
and  is  ilY^  inches  high  by  10  inches  wide.  In  1813  it  was 
offered  for  sale  in  London  at  twelve  hundred  pounds.  In 
1825  it  was  sold  in  Paris  for  eighty  thousand  francs,  and 
soon  after  sold  to  the  National  Gallery  for  thirty-eight  hun- 
dred pounds,  or  nearly  nineteen  thousand  dollars. 

A  copy  of  the  "  Reading  Magdalen  "  was  sold  to  Earl 
Dudley  for  sixteen  hundred  pounds,  or  more  than  seven 
thousand  dollars. 

Correggio  had  but  few  pupils,  but  he  had  many  imita- 
tors. The  one  most  worthy  of  mention  was  FRANCESCO 
Mazzuoli  (i 503-1 540),  called  IL  Parmigiano,  or  Par- 
MIGIANINO.  He  was  not  a  great  painter.  The  "  Vision  of 
St.  Jerome."  in  the  National  Gallery,  London,  is  one  of  his 
best  works.  It  is  said  that  during  the  sack  of  Rome,  in 
1527,  he  was  painting  the  figures  of  the  Virgin  and  Child 
in  this  picture,  and  was  so  engrossed  by  his  work  that  the 
invaders  entered  his  studio,  and  surrounded  him  before  he 
was  aware  of  their  approach.  And  they,  for  their  part, 
were  so  moved  by  what  they  saw  that  they  went  away,  and 
left  him  undisturbed. 

Art  writers  often  use  the  term  "  early  masters."  This 
denotes  Michael  Angelo,  Raphael,  and  other  men  so  great 
that  they  were  very  prominent  in  the  history  of  art,  and 
were  imitated  by  so  many  followers  that  they  had  an  un- 
usual effect  upon  the  world.  Titian  may  be  called  the  last 
of  these  great  masters  of  the  early  school,  and  his  life  was 
so  long  that  he  lived  to  see  a  great  decline  in  art. 

The  painters  of  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  are  called 
"  Mannerists,"  which  means  that  they  adopted  or  imitated 
the  manner  or  style  of  some  great  master  who  had  preceded 
them — and  this  was  done  in  so  cold  and  spiritless  a  way 
that  it  may  be  said  that  true  artistic  inspiration  was  dead  in 


I40  rAINTING. 

Italy.  No  one  lived  who,  out  of  his  own  imagination,  could 
fix  upon  the  wall  or  the  canvas  such  scenes  as  would  befit 
a  poet's  dream  or  serve  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  those 
who  saw  the  painted  story  born  in  the  artist's  brain. 

About  1600,  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
there  arose  a  new  movement  in  Italian  art,  which  resulted 
in  forming  two  schools  between  which  there  came  to  be 
much  bitterness  of  feeling,  and  even  deadh*  hatred..  On 
one  side  there  were  those  who  wished  to  continue  the 
study  and  imitation  of  the  works  of  the  old  masters,  but 
Avith  this  they  united  a  study  of  nature.  These  men  were 
called  "  Eclectics,"  because  they  elected  or  chose  certain 
parts  of  different  systems  of  painting,  and  from  these  formed 
a  new  manner  of  their  own. 

Opposed  to  the  Eclectics  were  the  "  Naturalists,"  who 
insisted  that  nature  only  should  be  studied,  and  that  ex'ery- 
thing  should  be  represented  in  the  most  realistic  way,  and 
made  to  appear  in  the  picture  exactly  as  it  did  in  reality, 
not  being  beautified  or  adorned  by  any  pla\-  of  fanc\'  or 
imagination. 

The  chief  school  of  the  Eclectics,  of  whom  I  will  first 
speak,  was  at  Bologna,  and  is  known  also  as  the  "  school  of 
the  Caracci,"  because  LUDOVICO  Caracci  (l  555-1619)  was 
at  the  head  of  a  large  academy  there,  and  was  assisted  by  his 
nephews,  Agostixo  Caracci  (i 558-1601)  and  Axxihale 
Caracci  (i  560-1609),  the  latter  being  the  greatest  artist  of 
the  three.  The  lives  of  the  Caracci  are  not  of  such  interest 
as  to  require  an  account  of  them  here,  neither  are  their 
works  so  interesting  that  we  may  not  lea\'e  these  artists 
by  saying  that  they  have  great  consideration  as  the  heads 
of  the  Eclectic  Academy,  and  for  the  work  the\'  did  in  it 
at  an  important  era  in  the  history  of  Italian  art  ;  but  the 
fruits  of  their  work  are  shown  in  that  of  their  scholars  rather 
than  in  their  own  paintings,  and  in  this  view  their  influence 
can  scarcely  be  overvalued. 


DOMENICHINO,  141 

The  greatest  of  their  scholars  was  DOMENICO  ZAMriERl 
(i58i-i64i),calledDoMENICHINO,who\vas  born  at  Bologna, 
and  was  instructed  by  Denis  Calvert,  who  forbade  his  draw- 
ing after  the  works  of  Annibale  Caracci.  Donienico  dis- 
obeyed this  command,  and  was  so  severely  treated  by  Cal- 
vert that  he  persuaded  his  father  to  take  him  from  that 
master,  and  place  him  in  the  school  of  the  Caracci.  When 
he  entered  the  Academy  he  was  so  dull  that  his  fellow- 
pupils  nicknamed  him  "The  Ox;"  but  Annibale  Caracci 
said:  "Take  care:  this  ox  will  surpass  you  all  by  and 
by,  and  will  bean  honor  to  his  art."  Domenichino  soon 
began  to  win  many  prizes  in  the  school,  and  left  it  well 
trained  and  prepared  for  a  brilliant  career. 

He  gave  much  thought  to  his  art,  shunned  private  so- 
ciety, and  if  he  went  out  at  all  he  frequented  public  places 
where  large  numbers  of  people  were  gathered,  thus  afiford- 
ing  him  an  opportunity  to  study  their  v^arying  expressions. 
He  also  tried  to  feel  in  himself  the  emotions  of  the  person 
he  was  painting.  For  instance,  it  is  said  that  when  he  was 
painting  the  "  Scourging  of  St.  Andrew,"  he  threw  himself 
into  a  passion,  and  used  threatening  gestures  and  high 
words.  In  the  midst  of  this  his  master,  Annibale  Caracci, 
surprised  him,  and  was  so  impressed  with  his  method  that 
he  threw  his  arms  about  his  pupil's  neck,  exclaiming,  "  To- 
day, my  Domenichino,  thou  art  teaching  me  !  " 

The  most  celebrated  work  by  Domenichino  is  the  "  Com- 
munion of  St.  Jerome,"  in  the  Vatican.  It  is  universally 
considered  the  second  picture  in  Rome,  the  "Transfigura- 
tion," by  Raphael,  being  the  only  one  that  is  placed  before 
it.  The  scene  it  represents  is  just  before  the  death  of  the 
saint,  when  he  was  borne  into  the  chapel  to  receive  the 
sacrament  of  the  communion  for  the  last  time  (Fig.  50). 

Domenichino  v/as  made  very  unhappy  in  Rome,  on  ac- 
count of  the  jealousy  of  other  artists,  and  he  returned  to 
Bologna.      However,   his   fame   had   reached   the   court   at 


Kici.  50. 


DOMENICHINO.  143 

Naples,  and  the  viceroy  of  that  city  invited  the  artist  to  de- 
corate the  Chapel  of  St.  Januarius.  There  was  in  Naples  at 
that  time  an  association  of  artists  who  had  determined  that 
no  strange  artist  should  be  allowed  to  do  work  of  any  ac- 
count in  their  city.  As  soon  as  Domenichino  began  his 
work,  therefore,  he  received  letters  threatening  his  life.  His 
colors  were  spoiled  b)-  having  ruinous  chemicals  mixed  with 
them,  his  sketches  were  stolen  from  his  studio,  and  all  sorts 
of  insults  and  indignities  were  heaped  upon  him. 

After  a  time,  the  painter  was  so  disheartened  that  he 
fled  to  Rome  ;  but  the  viceroy  sent  for  him  and  took  every 
precaution  possible  to  protect  him  and  enable  him  to  work 
in  peace.  But  just  as  all  seemed  to  be  going  well  he  sick- 
ened and  died,  and  it  has  always  been  said  that  he  was 
poisoned.  Be  this  as  it  may,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
fear,  vexation,  and  anxiety  of  his  life  caused  his  death,  and 
on  this  account  his  tormentors  were  his  murderers. 

The  works  of  Domenichino  are  not  numerous,  and  are 
not  seen  in  as  many  galleries  as  are  those  of  some  Italian 
painters  ;  but  there  are  a  considerable  number  scattered  over 
Europe  and  very  beautiful  ones  in  several  galleries  in  Rome. 

The  next  painter  of  importance  in  the  Eclectic  school  was 
GuiDO  Reni  (1575-1642),  born  at  Bologna,  and  the  son  of 
a  professor  of  music.  His  father  intended  that  Guido  also 
should  be  a  musician ,  and  the  poor  boy  was  much  persecuted 
on  account  of  his  love  for  drawing.  But  after  many  strug- 
gles the  boy  came  into  the  Caracci  school,  and  was  soon  a 
favorite  pupil  there. 

When  still  young  he  listened  with  great  attention  to  a 
lecture  from  Annibale,  in  which  he  laid  down  the  rules  which 
should  govern  a  true  painter.  Guido  resolved  to  follow  these 
rules  closely,  and  soon  he  painted  so  well  that  he  was  ac- 
cused of  trying  to  establish  a  new  system  of  painting.  At 
last  Ludovico  Caracci  turned  against  him  and  dismissed  him 
from  his  school. 


GUIDO    REM.  145 

The  young  artist  went  to  Rome  ;  but  his  persecutions 
did  not  cease,  and  it  seemed  to  be  his  fate  to  excite  the 
jealousy  of  other  painters.  Now,  when  so  much  time  has 
elapsed,  we  know  that  Guido  was  not  a  very  great  master, 
and  had  he  painted  in  the  days  of  Michael  Angelo  he  would 
not  have  been  thought  so.  But  art  had  lowered  its  stand- 
ard, and  Guido's  works  were  suited  to  the  taste  of  his 
time  ;  he  had  a  high  conception  of  beauty,  and  he  tried  to 
reach  it  in  his  pictures. 

In  the  course  of  his  career  Guido  really  painted  in  three 
styles.  His  earliest  pictures  are  the  strongest  ;  those  of  his 
middle  period  are  weaker,  because  he  seemed  only  to  strive 
to  represent  grace  and  sweetness  ;  his  latest  pictures  are 
careless  and  unequal  m  execution,  for  he  grew  indifferent  to 
fame,  and  became  so  fond  of  gaming  that  he  only  painted 
in  order  to  get  money  to  spend  in  this  sinful  folly. 

His  masterpiece  in  Rome  was  the  "  Aurora,"  on  a  ceil- 
ing of  the  Rospigliosi  Palace  ;  it  represents  the  goddess  of 
the  dawn  as  floating  before  the  chariot  of  Apollo,  or  Phoe- 
bus, the  god  of  the  sun.  She  scatters  flowers  upon  the 
earth,  he  holds  the  reins  over  four  piebald  and  white  horses, 
while  Cupid,  with  his  lighted  torch,  floats  just  above  them. 
Around  the  chariot  dance  seven  graceful  female  figures 
which  represent  the  Hours,  or  Horae.  I  have  been  asked 
why  seven  was  the  number ;  the  ancients  had  no  fixed 
number  for  the  Hours  ;  sometimes  they  were  spoken  of  as 
two,  again  three,  and  even  in  some  cases  as  ten.  It  has  al- 
ways seemed  to  me  that  ten  was  the  number  chosen  by 
Guido,  for  in  that  case  there  would  naturally  be  three  out  of 
sight,  on  the  side  of  the  chariot  which  is  not  seen  (Fig. 

51). 

The  portrait  of  Beatrice  Cenci  is  another  very  celebrated 
picture  by  Guido  ;  it  is  in  the  gallery  of  the  Barberini 
Palace,  in  Rome  (Fig.  52).  The  interest  in  the  portrait  of 
this  unhappy  girl  is  world-wide.     She  was  the  daughter  of  a 


Fig.  52.— Rkatkick  Cenci. 


GUIDO    REM.  147 

wealthy  Roman  noble,  who  after  the  death  of  her  mother 
married  a  second  time,  and  treated  the  children  of  his  first 
marriage  in  a  brutal  way.  It  is  even  said  that  he  hired  as- 
sassins to  murder  two  of  his  sons  on  their  return  from  a 
journey  to  Spain.  The  story  also  relates  that  his  cruelty 
to  Beatrice  was  such  that,  with  the  aid  of  her  stepmother 
and  her  brother,  she  killed  him.  At  all  events,  these  three 
were  accused  of  this  crime  and  were  executed  for  it  in  1599. 
Other  accounts  say  that  he  was  murdered  by  robbers,  and 
his"wife  and  children  were  made  to  appear  as  if  guilty.  Cle- 
ment VII.  was  the  pope  at  that  time,  and  in  spite  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  cruelty  of  the  father  he  would  not  pardon 
them,  though  mercy  was  implored  of  him  for  this  lovely 
girl.  The  reason  given  for  this  action  of  the  pope's  is  that 
he  wished  to  confiscate  the  Cenci  estates,  which  he  could 
do  if  the  family  suffered  the  death  penalty.  So  many  re- 
productions of  this  sad  face  have  been  made  that  it  is  very 
familiar  to  us,  and  almost  seems  to  have  been  the  face  of 
some  one  whom  we  have  known. 

Guido  did  not  paint  his  St.  jMichacl  for  the  Cappucini 
in  Rome  until  after  he  returned  to  his  native  city.  When 
he  sent  the  picture  to  the  monks,  he  wrote  :  "  I  wish  I  had 
the  wings  of  an  angel  to  have  ascended  into  Paradise,  and 
there  to  have  beholden  the  forms  of  those  beatified  spirits 
from  which  I  might  have  copied  my  archangel ;  but  not 
being  able  to  mount  so  high,  it  was  in  vain  for  me  to  search 
for  his  resemblance  here  below,  so  that  I  was  forced  to 
make  an  introspection  into  my  own  mind,  and  into  that  idea 
of  beauty  which  I  have  formed  in  my  own  imagination." 

We  arc  told  that  he  always  tried  to  paint  his  ideal  of 
beauty  rather  than  to  reproduce  any  human  beauty  that  he 
had  seen.  He  would  pose  his  color-grinder,  and  draw  his 
outlines  from  him,  and  then  fill  in  with  his  own  conceptions 
of  what  the  head  he  was  painting  should  be  ;  this  accounts 
for  the  sameness  in  his  heads  and  faces. 


148  PAINTING. 

His  passion  for  gaming  degraded  the  close  of  his  Ufe.  If 
led  him  into  great  distresses,  and  for  the  sake  of  money 
he  painted  many  pictures  which  are  not  worthy  of  his  name. 
He  had  always  received  generous  prices  for  his  pictures,  but 
he  left  many  debts  as  a  blot  upon  his  memory.  His  works 
are  seen  in  the  galleries  of  Europe,  and  are  always  admired 
for  their  feeling,  beauty,  and  grace. 

Francesco  Albani  (i  578-1660),  born  at  Bologna,  was 
another  scholar  of  the  Caracci  school,  and  a  friend  of  Guido 
Reni.  There  are  many  works  of  his  in  Rome.  His  pictures 
of  landscapes  with  figures  were  his  best  works,  and  beauty 
was  his  characteristic.  His  own  home  had  all  the  advan- 
tages for  painting  such  works  as  he  best  succeeded  in,  such 
as  Venus  and  the  Loves,  maids  and  boys,  children  and 
Cupids  in  unending  variety. 

His  villa  was  surrounded  by  charming  views.  His  wife 
was  very  handsome,  and  they  had  twelve  lovely  children,  so 
lovely  that  it  is  said  that  other  artists  besides  himself  made 
use  of  them  for  models. 

There  were  several  other  Eclectics  of  some  importance 
of  whom  we  shall  not  speak,  but  shall  leave  them  with  an 
account  of  Elisabetta  Sirani  (1640- 1665),  who  also  was 
born  at  Bologna,  and  is  worthy  of  attention  on  account  of 
her  talents,  while  the  story  of  her  life  adds  another  interest 
than  that  which  she  has  as  an  artist. 

She  was  an  imitator  of  the  attractive  manner  of  Guido 
Reni.  The  heads  of  her  madonnas  and  magdalens  are  charm- 
ing, and,  indeed,  all  her  work  speaks  of  the  innate  refine- 
ment of  her  nature.  Her  industry  was  marvellous,  since 
she  made  one  hundred  and  fifty  pictures  and  etchings  in  a 
period  of  about  ten  years.  Much  has  been  said  of  the  ra- 
pidity with  which  she  worked,  and  one  story  relates  that  on 
a  certain  day  the  Duchess  of  Brunswick,  the  Duchess  of 
Mirandola,  and  the  Duke  Cosimo  de  Medici,  with  other 
persons,  met   in   her   studio,  and  she  sk'ctchcd  and  shaded 


ELISABETTA    SIRANI.  149 

drawings  of  subjects  which  they  named  to  her,  with  a  skill 
and  celerity  which  astonished  and  delighted  her  guests. 

Her  masterpiece  is  a  picture  of  "St.  Anthony  Ador- 
ing the  Virgin  and  Child,"  which  is  in  the  Pinacoteca  of 
Bologna.  There  are  pictures  by  her  in  the  Belvedere  and 
Lichtenstein  Galleries  at  Vienna,  in  the  Hermitage  at  St. 
Petersburg,  and  in  the  Sciarra  Palace,  Rome. 

In  person  Elisabetta  Sirani  was  beautiful,  and  her  char- 
acter commanded  the  affection  of  all  who  knew  her.  She 
was  a  sweet  singer,  and  her  biographers  increase  her  virtues 
by  praising  her  taste  in  dress,  and  even  her  moderation  in 
eating!  She  was  skilful  in  domestic  affairs,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  rising  early  to  perform  her  share  in  the  household 
duties,  never  allowing  her  art  to  displace  any  occupation 
which  properly  made  a  part  of  her  life.  Her  name  has 
come  down  through  more  than  two  centuries  as  one  whose 
"  devoted  filial  affection,  feminine  grace,  and  artless  be- 
nignity of  manner  added  a  lustre  to  her  great  talents,  and 
completed  a  personality  which  her  friends  regarded  as  an 
ideal  of  perfection." 

She  died  very  suddenly,  and  the  cause  of  her  death  has 
never  been  known  ;  but  the  theory  that  she  was  poisoned 
has  been  generally  accepted.  Several  reasons  for  the  crime 
have  been  given  ;  one  is  that  she  was  the  victim  of  jealous  ar- 
tists, as  Domenichino  had  been  ;  another,  that  a  princely  lover 
whom  she  had  scorned  thus  revenged  himself.  A  servant- 
girl  in  her  family  was  suspected  of  the  crime,  tried,  and 
banished  ;  but  after  a  time  she  was  recalled  to  Bologna  at 
the  request  of  the  father  of  Elisabetta,  for  he  saw  no  proof 
of  the  girl's  guilt.  Thus  the  mystery  was  never  solved,  but 
the  whole  city  of  Bologna  was  saddened  by  her  death. 
The  day  of  her  burial  was  one  of  public  mourning;  her  fu- 
neral was  attended  with  great  pomp,  and  she  was  buried 
beside  Guido  Reni  in  the  splendid  church  of  the  Domin- 
icans.    Poems  and   orations  in  her  praise  were  numerous, 


I  50  PAINTING. 

and  a  book  was  published,  called  "  II  Penello  Lagrimate," 
which  contained  these,  with  odes,  anagrams,  and  epitaphs, 
in  both  Latin  and  Italian,  all  setting  forth  her  charms  and 
virtues.  Her  portrait  in  the  Ercolani  Gallery  at  Bologna 
represents  her  when  occupied  in  painting  her  father's  por- 
trait ;  according  to  this  picture  she  had  a  tall,  elegant  fig- 
ure, and  a  very  pretty  face.  She  had  two  sisters,  Barbara 
and  Anna  j\Iaria,  who  also  were  artists,  but  her  fame  was 
so  much  greater  than  theirs  that  she  quite  overshadowed 
them. 

The  earliest  master  of  the  Naturalists  was  MiCIIAEL 
Angelo  Amerigi,  called  Caravaggio,  from  the  name  of 
his  birth-place  (i  569-1609).  His  life  and  character  was 
not  such  as  to  make  him  an  attractive  study.  His  subjects 
and  his  manner  of  representing  them  combined  in  produ- 
cing what  has  been  called  "the  poetry  of  the  repulsive." 
He  was  wild  in  his  nature  and  lived  a  wild  life.  His  re- 
ligious subjects,  even,  were  coarse,  though  his  color  was 
vivid  and  his  figures  arranged  with  good  effect.  His  *'  False 
Players  "'  is  one  of  his  best  works  ;  it  represents  two  men 
playing  cards,  while  a  third  looks  over  the  shoulder  of  one 
as  if  advising  him  what  to  play. 

Naturally,  his  manner  of  painting  was  best  suited  to 
scenes  from  common  life,  though  he  made  those  coarse  and 
sometimes  painful ;  but  when  he  attempted  subjects  of  a 
higher  order  his  works  are  positively  offensive.  Some  of  his 
sacred  pictures  were  removed  from  the  altars  for  which 
they  were  painted  on  account  of  their  coarseness.  His 
most  celebrated  work  is  the  "Entombment  of  Christ,"  at 
the  Vatican  ;  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Capitol  in  Rome  there  is 
a  "  Fortune  Teller,"  which  is  also  a  fine  work. 

Next  to  Caravaggio  came  GlUSEPPE  RiBERA,  called  IL 
Spagnoletto  (i  588-1656).  He  was  a  native  of  Valencia, 
and  when  very  young  made  his  way  to  Rome,  so  that,  al- 
though his  education  as  an  artist  was  wholly  Italian,  his 


RIBERA.  151 

familiar  name  arose  from  his  Spanish  origin.  While  living  in 
miserable  poverty  in  Rome,  and  industriously  copying  such 
frescoes  as  he  could  gain  access  to,  he  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  a  cardinal,  who  took  him  to  his  home,  and  made  him 
comfortable.  But  the  young  painter  soon  ran  away,  and  re- 
turned to  his  street  life.  The  cardinal  sougnt  him  out,  and 
called  him  an  "  ungrateful  little  Spaniard;  "  but  Ribera  ex- 
cused his  conduct  by  saying  that  as  soon  as  he  was  made 
comfortable  and  was  well  fed  he  lost  all  ambition  to  work, 
adding  that  it  would  require  the  spur  of  poverty  to  make 
him  a  good  painter.  The  cardinal  respected  his  courage, 
and  the  story  being  repeated  to  other  artists,  much  interest 
was  attracted  to  him. 

Later  he  went  to  Naples,  and  joined  the  cabal  there 
which  had  agreed  to  persecute  the  strange  artists  who 
should  come  to  work  in  that  city.  If  Ribera  did  not  actu- 
ally commit  many  of  the  crimes  which  were  done  there,  he 
was  responsible  for  them  through  his  influence.  His  works 
are  frequently  so  brutal  in  their  subjects  and  treatment  that 
one  feels  that  he  who  painted  them  must  have  lost  all  the 
kindliness  of  his  nature. 

He  married  the  daughter  of  a  rich  picture  dealer,  and 
became  very  rich  himself.  In  1630  he  was  made  a  member 
of  the  Academy  of  St.  Luke,  at  Rome,  and  in  1648  Pope 
Innocent  X.  sent  him  the  cross  of  the  Order  of  Christ.  Few 
Italian  artists  were  better  known  in  their  own  country,  and 
many  of  his  pictures  were  sent  to  Spain.  His  greatest  excel- 
lence was  in  his  knowledge  of  anatomy,  and  he  painted  sub- 
jects that  enabled  him  to  show  this.  Among  his  famous  works 
are  a  "  Descent  from  the  Cross  ;  "  "  The  Flaying  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew ;  "  "  Ixion  on  the  Wheel  ;  "  and  "  Cato  of  Utica." 
His  works  are  in  all  the  famous  galleries  of  the  world. 

Ribera's  greatest  pupil  was  Salvator  Rosa  (161 5- 
1673),  the  landscape  painter,  who  was  a  very  gifted  man, 
being  a  poet  and  musician  as  well  as  an  artist.      His  father 


152  PAINTING. 

was  an  educated  man,  and  with  his  other  relatives  encour- 
aged his  son  in  his  taste  for  art.  When  twenty  years  old 
he  went  to  Rome,  and  with  the  exception  of  some  intervals 
remained  there  during  his  life. 

It  is  said  that  as  a  youth  he  associated  much  with  ban- 
dits, and,  when  one  considers  the  wildness  of  many  of  his 
scenes  and  the  character  of  the  figures  in  their  midst,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  believe  that  this  may  have  been  true.  It  is 
certain  that  he  painted  the  portrait  of  the  famous  Masaniello 
more  than  once,  and  he  is  believed  to  have  joined  the  Coin- 
pagnia  dclla  Mortc,  of  which  Falcone,  one  of  his  masters, 
was  the  captain. 

Salvator  made  many  enemies  by  his  independence  and 
his  inclination  to  satire.  He  wrote  satires  on  various  sub- 
jects which  were  not  published  until  after  his  death,  but  it 
was  known  that  he  had  written  them.  He  married  a  Flor- 
entine woman,  who  was  the  mother  of  his  two  sons.  When 
he  died  he  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Santa  ]\Iaria  degli 
Angeli,  where  a  monument  is  erected  to  his  memory. 

He  painted  some  historical  subjects  and  portraits  in 
which  he  followed  the  Naturalists,  but  his  principal  works 
were  landscapes.  Jagged  rocks  and  mountains,  wild  dells 
and  lonely  defiles,  with  here  and  there  robbers,  hermits,  or 
soldiers,  make  his  most  effective  pictures.  There  is  a  deep 
sense  of  desolation,  almost  of  fear,  in  them  which  is  very 
impressive.  Sometimes  he  painted  serene  landscapes  and 
poetic  figures  ;  but  his  best  works  are  not  of  this  sort.  His 
pictures  are  in  the  principal  public  and  in  some  private 
galleries.  He  also  left  about  ninety  etchings  which  are 
masterly  in  execution  and  full  of  expression  in  the  heads, 
while  the  atmosphere  is  soft.  When  his  works  arc  sold 
they  bring  great  prices.  A  large  landscape  with  ApolU) 
and  the  Sibyl  in  the  foreground  brought  eight  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  in  England  years  ago,  and  is  now  worth 
much  more  than  that. 


DECLINE   OF   ITALIAN    PAINTING.  153 

Early  in  the  eighteenth  century  an  artist  named  ANTO- 
NIO Canale  (1697-1768),  called  Canaletto,  began  to 
make  views  of  the  city  of  Venice  and  scenes  on  the  canals. 
He  had  two  followers,  Bernardo  Bellotti  (i  720-1 780), 
who  was  his  nephew,  and  FRANCESCO  GUARDI  ( 1712-1793), 
and  these  three  painters  executed  a  large  number  of  these 
pictures,  which  are  found  in  many  European  galleries,  and 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  their  authorship.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  many  which  were  once  attributed  to  the 
first  master  were  really  painted  by  his  pupils. 

Before  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  century  the 
decline  of  the  Renaissance  school  in  Italy  had  begun  ;  in 
fact,  the  painting  of  the  seventeenth  century  came  to  be 
mere  mechanical  realism.  For  this  reason  the  portraits 
were  the  best  pictures  of  the  time,  as  in  them  it  was  requi- 
site to  be  true  to  the  object  represented. 

Late  in  the  eighteenth  century  a  new  impulse  was  given 
to  Italian  painting,  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  foreign 
artists  such  as  Raphael  Mengs,  and  the  French  painter 
David.  In  the  beginning  of  our  own  century  LORENZO 
Benvenuti  ( 1 769-1 844)  executed  some  excellent  frescoes 
in  Florence,  Siena,  and  Arezzo,  which  was  his  native  city. 
He  decorated  the  ceiling  of  the  Medici  Chapel  in  the 
Church  of  San  Lorenzo  in  Florence,  and  Leopold  II. ,  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  erected  a  tomb  to  this  painter  in  the 
same  church  where  he  had  spent  so  much  time  and  talent. 
His  portrait,  painted  by  himself,  is  in  the  gallery  of  the 
Uffizi,  at  Florence.  ViNCENZIO  Cammuccini  (1775-1844), 
too,  was  a  celebrated  master  of  his  time.  He  was  a  Roman 
by  birth,  and  became  President  of  the  Academy  of  St. 
Luke  ;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Institute  of  France, 
and  received  decorations  from  sovereigns  of  various  coun- 
tries. He  made  many  copies  from  the  works  of  the  great 
masters.  His  portraits  were  so  much  admired  as  to  be  com- 
pared to  those  of  Rubens  and  Tintoretto,  and  his  ceiling  fres- 


1 54  PAINTING. 

coes  in  the  Torlonia  Palace,  Rome,  were  among  his  impor- 
tant  works,  as  was  a  "  Presentation  of  Christ  in  the  Temple," 
painted  for  the  Church  of  San  Giovanni  in  Piacenza. 

But  there  has  been  no  true  restoration  of  Italian  art. 
The  painting  of  Italy  in  our  time  has  been  largely  a  com- 
mercial enterprise  rather  than  an  outcome  from  artistic 
genius  or  impulse,  and  the  few  works  which  are  exceptions 
to  this  rule  are  not  sufficient  to  encourage  the  hope  that 
this  nation  can  again  attain  to  her  former  rank  or  regain  the 
fame  of  her  past  in  the  history  of  modern  art. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


PAINTING   IN   FLANDERS,    HOLLAND,   AND    GERMANY. 


FLANDERS  formerly  embraced  a  larger  part  of  Bel- 
gium than  is  contained  in  the  present  Belgian  provinces 
of  East  and  West  Flanders.  It  also  covered  a  portion  of 
Holland  and  some  territory  in  the  northwest  of  France. 
The  principal  Flemish  towns  connected  with  the  story  of 
Flemish  art  were  Bruges,  Tournai,  Louvain,  Ghent,  Ant- 
werp, Brussels,  Mechlin,  Liege,  and  Utrecht. 

There  are  some  records  of  Flemish  painting  much  earlier 
than  the  fifteenth  century,  but  they  are  so  vague  and  uncer- 
tain that  I  shall  pass  them  over,  and  begin  with  the  family 
of  Van  Eyck,  in  which  there  were  four  painters — three 
brothers  and  a  sister.  The  eldest,  HUBERT  VAN  Eyck 
(i 366-1426),  effected  a  great  change  in  the  art  of  his  time 
and  country.  Very  little  is  known  of  him  as  a  young  man,  or 
indeed  of  his  personal  history  at  all,  except  that  he  passed 
his  middle  life  at  Bruges  and  his  later  years  at  Ghent.  The 
subjects  of  his  pictures  were  mostly  scriptural.  I  do  not 
suppose  that  the  pictures  of  this  master  would  seem  very 
beautiful  to  you  if  you  saw  them,  but  they  are  of  great 
value.  His  greatest  work  was  an  altar-piece  for  Judocus 
Vyts  and  his  wife  Lisabetta  ;  it  was  for  the  decoration  of 
their  funeral  chapel  in  the  Church  of  St.  Bavon  in  Ghent. 
It  was  an  immense  work,  with  a  centre-piece  and  wings  that 
could  be  closed  ;  the  inside  was  divided  into  twelve  different 
pictures,  and  the  outside  also  was  painted.   We  do  not  know 


156  PAINTIXG. 

how  much  of  this  was  completed  when  Hubert  died  and  lett 
it  to  be  finished  by  his  brother  John.  Philip  I.  of  Spain 
wished  to  buy  this  altar-piece,  and  when  he  could  not  do  so, 
he  employed  Michael  Coxie  to  copy  it ;  this  artist  spent  two 
years  on  the  work,  and  was  paid  four  thousand  florins.  Of 
the  original  work,  a  large  portion  remains  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Bavon  ;  the  wings,  consisting  of  six  beautiful,  tall  panels, 
are  in  the  Berlin  Museum,  and  two  outer  compartments  are 
in  the  Brussels  Museum.  The  picture  of  holy  men  who 
have  served  God  is  on  one  of  the  wings   of  this   altar-piece 

(Fig.  53). 

But  the  principal  interest  attached  to  Hubert  van  Eyck 
comes  from  the  fact  that  he  made  such  discoveries  in  the 
use  of  colors  as  led  to  what  we  call  the  "  Invention  of  Oil- 
Painting,"  and  this  invention  is  always  attributed  to  the 
Van  Eycks,  for  it  is  probable  that  the  discoveries  of  Hubert 
were  perfected  by  Jan  Van  Evck  (i  390-1440).  who  became 
a  celebrated  painter.  Oil-painting  had  been  known,  it  is 
true,  along  time,  but  the  manner  of  preparing  the  colors  and 
the  varnish  used  before  the  time  of  the  Van  Eycks  was  very 
unsatisfactory,  and  the  improvement  of  these  substances 
was  the  work  of  these  masters. 

The  pictures  of  Hubert  van  Eyck  are  stronger  than 
those  of  Jan,  who  was  really  the  founder  of  a  school  re- 
markable for  delicacy  and  fine  finish  rather  than  for  power. 
It  was  after  the  death  of  Hubert  that  the  fame  of  the  new 
colors  spread  abroad,  and  thus  it  happened  that  it  was  to 
Jan  that  other  artists  went  to  learn  his  secrets. 

Jan  van  Eyck  was  something  of  a  diplomat  as  well  as  a 
painter,  for  when  he  was  in  the  service  of  Philip  the  Good, 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  he  was  sent  on  several  secret  missions, 
and  in  1428  he  accompanied  the  ambassadors  of  the  duke 
to  Portugal  in  order  to  paint  the  portrait  of  Isabella  of  Por- 
tugal, who  was  betrothed  to  the  duke.  There  is  a  goodly 
number  of  works  by  Jan  van  Ejxk  in  various  galleries.    The 


-^v^"* 


I 


'^hW^^ 


Fig.  S3- — i  "1^  Anchuki  iLb.     Ju  S.  Bavon  at  Ghent. 


158  PAINTING, 

portrait  of  himself  and  wife  in  the  National  Gallery,  London, 
is  very  interesting;  they  stand  hand  in  hand,  with  a  ter- 
rier dog  at  their  feet ;  their  dress  and  all  the  details  of  their 
surroundings  are  painted  with  great  care.  It  is  said  that 
the  Princess  Mary,  sister  of  Charles  V.,  gave  a  barber  who 
owned  it  a  position  with  a  handsome  salary  in  exchange  for 
the  picture.  Jan  van  Eyck,  being  twenty  years  younger 
than  his  brother  Hubert,  naturally  learned  all  that  the  elder 
knew,  and  the  story  of  his  life  gives  him  the  appearance  of 
being  the  more  important  artist,  though  in  point  of  highest 
merit  he  was  not  the  superior. 

Of  LAMI5ERT  VAN  EVCK  very  little  is  known.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  he  made  the  copy  of  Hubert's  great  work  which 
is  in  the  Antwerp  Museum  ;  another  work  called  by  his 
name  is  in  Louvain.  Makgaretiia  VAN  EvcK  is  said  to 
have  been  a  skilful  artist,  but  no  one  picture  can  be 
ascribed  to  her  ;  she  was  buried  beside  her  brother  Hubert 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Ghent. 

Of  course  the  van  Eycks  had  many  followers.  yVmong 
them  were  Petrus  Christus  (records  1444-1471),  GER- 
ARD VAN  DER  Meire  (records  1447-1474),  Hugo  VON  der 
Goes  (1405  ?-i482),  and  Justus  of  Ghent  (1468-?),  all 
of  whom  were  good  artists,  but  I  shall  pass  to  a  more  im- 
portant one,  ROGIER  VAN  DER  Weyden  (1400-1464),  who 
was  himself  the  head  of  a  school  of  as  great  importance  as 
was  that  of  the  van  Eycks.  His  realism  was  his  chief  char- 
acteristic, and  this  was  so  great  as  to  make  some  of  his 
works  repulsive,  especially  his  martyrdoms,  in  which  he  de- 
tailed horrors  with  great  exactness.  He  also  loved  to  paint 
pictures  which  illustrated  the  myths  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
Our  illustration  is  from  one  of  these  works  (Eig.  54^- 

This  picture  is  from  the  story  that  when  the  Roman 
Senate  decreed  divine  honors  to  the  lunperor  Augustus,  he 
consulted  the  Tiburtine  Sib\-1  as  to  whether  he  ought  to  re- 
ceive them  or  no.      She  replied  to  him  that  it  was  more  be- 


VAN   DER   WEYDEN. 


159 


coming  for  him  to  go  away  silently,  and  told  him 
a  Hebrew  child  should  be  born  who  should  reign 
the  gods  themselves,  or 
that  a  king  should  come 
from  heaven  whose  pow- 
er should  never  end. 
Another  version,  which 
is  the  one  this  picture 
represents,  says  that  the 
heavens  opened,  and  a 
vision  of  the  Virgin  with 
the  Saviour  in  her  arms, 
standing  on  an  altar,  was 
shown  the  emperor.  He 
worshipped  it,  and  heard 
a  voice  saying,  "  Haec 
ara  filii  Dei  "  (This  is  the 
altar  of  the  Son  of  God). 
Augustus  reported  this 
to  the  Senate,  and  erected 
an  altar  upon  the  spot  in 
Rome  where  the  Church 
of  Santa  Maria  in  Capito- 
lio,  or  the  "  Ara  Cceli," 
now  stands. 

Many  pictures  by  Van 
der  Weyden  are  seen  in 
European  galleries.  He 
was  also  a  fine  minia- 
turist. He  was  official 
painter  to  the  city  of  Brus- 
sels, and  was  buried  in  its 
cathedral. 

His    son,     ROGIER    VAN    DER    Weyden    the 
became    verj'    rich    and     benevolent.       He    died 


that 
over 


Fig.  54. — The  Sibyl  and  the  Em- 
p  F.  R  O  R  A  U  G  U  S  T  u  S.  By  Rogier  van  der  Wey- 
dtn.     In  the  Berlin  Museum. 


younger, 
at    Brus- 


l60  PAINTING. 

sels  in  1529.  His  works  arc  not  numerous  in  public  gal- 
leries. 

The  elder  Van  der  Weyden  had  a  pupil,  Hans  Mem- 
LING  (records  1450-1499),  who  became  the  greatest  master 
in  Belgium.  I  shall  not  give  you  a  long  account  of  him  ; 
but  shall  tell  you  of  his  greatest  work,  which  was  the 
Shrine  of  St.  Ursula,  at  the  Hospital  of  Bruges,  and  is  the 
best  example  of  this  type  of  early  Flemish  art  which  still 
exists.  It  is  divided  into  six  compartments,  with  two  ends, 
and  other  panels  on  top,  all  of  which  are  finished  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  give  the  whole  story  of  St.  Ursula  and  her 
eleven  thousand  virgins,  which  is  that  Ursula  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  a  king  of  Brittany  who  was  a  Christian.  The  young 
girl  was  educated  with  the  greatest  care,  and  the  fame  of 
her  beauty  and  wisdom  spread  all  over  Europe.  At  length 
the  king  of  England  asked  for  her  to  be  the  wife  of  his  son. 
The  princess  replied  that  she  would  wed  him  on  three  con- 
ditions :  first,  that  he  should  give  her  ten  virgins  of  noble 
blood  for  her  companions,  then  to  each  of  these  virgins  and 
to  herself  he  should  give  a  thousand  maidens  as  attendants  ; 
second,  he  should  allow  her  three  years  with  these  compan- 
ions, with  whom  she  should  visit  the  shrines  where  the 
bodies  of  the  saints  repose  ;  and  third,  the  English  king 
and  his  court  should  receive  baptism. 

I  cannot  give  space  for  all  the  details  of  this  story,  which 
is  of  great  interest ;  but  the  result  was  that  Ursula  received 
all  that  she  asked,  and  started  on  her  journey  to  Rome,  in 
the  course  of  which  she  and  the  eleven  thousand  maidens 
met  with  many  adventures.  At  last,  having  reached  Co- 
logne on  their  return,  they  encountered  an  army  of  barba- 
rians which  was  besieging  the  city,  and  all  were  slain. 

The  subjects  of  the  pictures  as  they  were  painted  by 
Memling  were  :  i,  the  first  landing  at  Cologne  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  journey  ;  2,  the  landing  at  Basle  ;  3,  the  ar- 
rival in  Rome  ;  4,  the  second  arrival  at  Basle  on  her  return 


QUINTIN   MATSYS.  l6l 

toward  home  ;  5.  commencement  of  the  martyrdom,  when 
Ursula  and  her  trahi  are  first  seen  by  the  barbarians  ;  6, 
death  of  Ursula. 

The  works  of  Mcmling  which  still  remain  are  numerous, 
and  are  seen  in  many  public  galleries.  After  the  death  of 
this  master  the  purity  of  Flemish  painting  declined.  Many 
artists  visited  Italy,  and  the  manner  of  Flemish  painters  was 
influenced  by  association  with  Italian  art  and  artists.  I 
shall,  therefore,  pass  over  a  period  when  no  very  impor- 
tant masters  appeared,  and  speak  next  of  a  great  man, 
QuiNTiN  Matsys  (1466-1529),  who  began  life  as  a  black- 
smith. He  was  born  at  Antwerp,  and  there  are  specimens  of 
iron  work  there  said  to  have  been  executed  by  him.  It  is 
said  that  he  fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of  an  artist  who 
refused  to  allow  him  to  marry  her  because  he  was  not  a 
painter  ;  for  this  reason  Matsys  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  art,  and  became  the  best  Belgian  master  of  his  time.  His 
pictures  of  religious  subjects  are  full  of  tender  earnestness 
and  deep  feeling,  and  his  most  important  work  was  an  altar- 
piece  which  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  Antwerp.  His  scenes 
from  common  life,  his  misers  and  lovers  are  spirited  and 
truthful. 

His  portrait  and  that  of  his  second  wife,  both  painted 
by  himself,  are  in  the  gallery  of  the  Uffizi  in  Florence.  His 
works  are  not  very  numerous,  but  they  are  seen  in  the  prin- 
cipal galleries.  He  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Antwerp, 
and  a  slab  is  inserted  in  the  wall  which  tells  his  story  ;  one 
sentence  is,  "  Conniibialis  amor  de  niulcibre fecit  Apellene'^ 
(True  love  changed  the  smith  to  an  Apelles). 

Rubens  is  the  next  great  master  of  whom  I  shall  speak, 
but  I  wish  to  say  that  during  the  last  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century  there  were  many  Flemish  painters  of  considerable 
note  whose  pictures  are  seen  in  galleries,  and  are  well  worth 
consideration,  but  whose  lives  had  no  circumstances  of 
especial  interest.  Among  the  best  of  these  artists  were 
II 


1 62  PAINTING. 

Antonio  Moro,  Peter  Pourbus  (15 10-1583),  and  his 
son  and  grandson,  both  named  Frans,  PlETER  BREUGHEL 
(i 530-1 569),  and  his  sons  Jan  and  Pieter  the  younger,  and 
Paul  Bril,  an  early  Flemish  landscape  painter. 

All  the  early  Flemish  pictures  are  very  interesting,  but 
in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  a  new  manner 
of  painting  was  introduced  through  the  genius  of  PETER 
Paul  Rubens  (i  577-1640).  This  master  was  descended 
from  two  good  families  :  his  mother  was  of  the  distinguished 
family  Pypeling,  and  his  father,  John  Rubens,  was  one  of 
the  two  principal  magistrates  of  Antwerp.  This  city  was 
the  home  of  Rubens,  although  he  was  born  at  Siegen,  in 
the  county  of  Nassau,  during  a  time  when  his  father  was  in 
exile  on  account  of  a  civil  war  which  was  then  raging.  He 
was  born  June  29th,  the  feast  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul,  and 
hence  was  named  for  those  apostles. 

He  was  a  bright,  scholarly  boy,  and  soon  showed  his 
love  for  drawing.  When  he  began  to  study  art  under  Adam 
van  Noort  he  had  already  a  good  education.  During  the 
four  years  he  passed  with  this  teacher  he  learned  thoroughly 
all  the  technical  part  of  painting ;  then,  in  another  four 
years  under  Otto  Vaenius,  he  cultivated  his  taste  and  the 
more  poetical  elements  of  his  nature,  for  Vaenius  was  a  very 
learned  and  elegant  man.  In  1598,  when  twenty-one  years 
old,  Rubens  was  admitted  to  the  guild  of  painters  in  Ant- 
werp. Two  years  later  he  went  to  Venice,  and,  after  study- 
ing the  works  of  Titian  and  Paul  Veronese  there,  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Duke  of  Mantua,  to  whom  he  had  been 
recommended  by  the  governor  of  the  Netherlands. 

While  in  Mantua  he  painted  some  fine  pictures,  and  the 
duke  sent  him  to  Rome  to  copy  celebrated  works  there. 
Rubens  also  executed  some  other  orders  in  Rome,  from 
which  place  he  was  recalled  by  the  duke,  who  wished  to 
send  an  envoy  to  Spain,  and  had  chosen  the  young  artist  for 
that  duty.     He  showed  great  political  ability  in  the  way  he 


Fig.  55. — Rubens  and  his  Second  Wifb. 


1 64  PAINTING. 

conducted  his  embassy,  and  tliroui^li  liis  personal  charms 
made  many  friends. 

After  his  return  from  Spain  he  went  aijain  to  Rome  and 
then  to  Genoa,  and  finall}',  on  account  of  the  iUness  of  his 
mother,  he  returned  to  Antwerp,  liaving  been  absent  seven 
years.  His  mother  died  before  he  reached  her.  He  then 
decided  to  remain  in  Antwerp,  and  built  himself  a  fine  house 
with  a  charming  studio.  He  soon  married  his  first  wife, 
Isabella  Brant,  and  during  the  next  fifteen  years  led  a  very 
regular  and  industrious  life,  and  executed  many  important 
works.  He  also  received  a  large  number  of  pupils  into  his 
studio,  and  he  has  been  accused  of  allowing  them  to  paint 
pictures  which  he  called  by  his  own  name  ;  but  it  is  true 
that  Rubens,  with  his  own  hand,  completed  pictures  of  al- 
most every  kind,  and  so  proved  his  power  as  an  artist. 

He  was  fond  of  study,  and  could  read  and  speak  seven 
lansfuasfes.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  havinij  some  one  read 
aloud  to  him  while  he  painted,  and  preferred  books  of  his- 
tory and  poetry.  In  1620  he  was  invited  to  France  by 
Marie  de  Medicis,  for  whom  he  executed  many  works. 
Among  them  the  most  important  were  scenes  illustrating 
the  life  of  this  queen  wiiich  decorate  some  apartments  in 
the  Louvre. 

In  1628  the  Infanta  Isabella  sent  him  on  a  second  mis- 
sion to  Spain,  and  while  there  he  painted  many  grand  and 
important  pictures,  which  are  fine  examples  of  his  gorgeous 
coloring.  He  proved  himself  so  good  a  diplomatist  that  he 
was  sent  to  England  to  try  to  make  peace  between  that 
country  and  Flanders,  in  which  he  was  successful.  He  was 
knighted  by  King  Charles  in  1630,  and  received  the  same 
honor  from  the  king  of  Spain. 

In  1630  he  married  Helena  Formcnt,  a  niece  of  his  first 
wife,  who  was  but  sixteen  years  old.  She  became  the 
mother  of  five  children  ;  he  h.ul  two  sons  by  his  first  mar- 
riage,   to    whom    Gevartius   was   tutor.      Rubens    made    so 


RUIJENS.  165 

niiiny  ])ortraits  of  both  his  wix'cs  and  so  often  used  them  as 
models  in  painting  his  large  pictures,  that  their  faces  are  fa- 
miliar to  all  the  world  (Fig.  55). 

Rubens  made  a  valuable  collection  of  all  sorts  of  beauti- 
ful objects,  and  lived  luxuriously.  After  his  death  a  portion 
of  his  collection  was  sold  at  private  sale  for  more  than 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  His  death  occurred  in  1640, 
and  he  was  buried  in  a  private  chapel  in  the  Church  of  St. 
James  in  Antwerp  ;  he  had  decorated  this  chapel  with  some 
works  of  his  own.  His  family  erected  a  monument  to  him, 
upon  which  an  epitaph  written  by  Gevartius  was  inscribed. 

In  painting  Rubens  was  almost  a  universal  genius,  for 
he  left  a  great  variety  of  works  as  well  as  a  great  number. 
About  one  thousand  eight  hundred  are  ascribed  to  him  : 
doubtless  his  pupils  did  much  work  on  these  ;  but  there  is 
something  of  himself  in  all.  They  include  historical,  scrip- 
tural, and  mythological  subjects,  portraits,  animals,  ^^;/r^ 
pictures,  and  landscapes.  His  style  is  a  strange  mingling 
of  northern  and  southern  elements.  His  handling  and  his 
arrangement  of  his  subjects  was  like  that  of  the  Italians  ; 
but  his  figures,  even  when  he  represented  Christ  and  the 
holiest  men,  were  like  Spanish  kings  or  German  peasants, 
or  somebody  whom  he  had  seen. 

We  have  not  space  to  speak  in  detail  of  the  works  of 
Rubens.  Some  critics  insist  that  one  class  of  his  pictures  is 
best,  and  some  another.  Of  course  this  depends  largely 
upon  the  taste  of  those  who  make  the  judgment.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  he  was  a  wonderful  painter,  and  many  of  his  pic- 
tures give  great  pleasure  to  those  who  visit  the  galleries 
where  they  are  seen. 

His  pictures  of  children  were  so  painted  that  they  seem 
to  have  been  done  from  pure  love  of  the  work.  His  por- 
traits are  splendid,  his^^;^;r  scenes  delightful,  and  his  land- 
scapes fine  ;  in  short,  the  amount  and  variety  of  his  work  is 
a  proof  of  his  great  genius  and  industry,  such  as  can  scarcely 


fm    -6.— TnK  Kktukn  fk<jm  Egyi'T      Jiy  Kubais. 


FLEMISH   PAINTING.  167 

be  equalled  in  the  history  of  painting.  Yet  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  there  is  much  incorrect  drawing,  unnatural  col- 
oring, and  coarse,  bad  taste  in  some  of  his  works.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  fertility  of  his  imagination,  his  bold  design 
and  effective  execution,  as  well  as  his  brilliant  color,  are  all 
to  be  admired,  and  the  name  of  Rubens  stands  high  on  the 
list  of  Flemish  artists  who  are  famous  the  world  over. 

Frans  Snyders  (1579-1657)  was  born  at  Antwerp 
and  lived  in  the  time  of  Rubens.  He  was  a  famous  painter 
of  animals,  and  it  sometimes  happened  that  they  worked 
together,  Rubens  painting  the  landscapes  and  figures  and 
Snyders  the  animals  in  the  same  pictures.  Snyders,  like 
Rubens,  excelled  in  representing  animals  in  the  most  ex- 
citing moment  of  the  combat  or  the  chase,  and  his  pictures 
are  full  of  life.  They  are  seen  in  all  large  European  gal- 
leries, and  are  much  prized. 

Jan  Fyt  (1609-1661),  also  born  at  Antwerp,  is  the 
greatest  Flemish  animal  painter  after  Snyders.  His  grey- 
hounds cannot  be  equalled,  while  his  live  dogs  are  wonder- 
ful ;  but  his  best  pictures  represent  dead  game.  The  fur 
and  feathers  in  his  paintings  are  marvellously  done,  and 
his  pictures  are  among  the  best  in  the  world  in  which 
such  subjects  are  treated. 

Jacob  Jordaens  (i 593-1678),  another  native  of  Ant- 
werp, studied  under  Adam  van  Noort  at  the  same  time  with 
Rubens,  but  later  in  life  he  became  a  follower  and  a  sort  of 
assistant  of  his  former  fellow-pupil.  He  married  a  daughter 
of  their  old  master  and  never  visited  Italy.  His  color  was 
fine  ;  in  truth,  he  sometimes  excelled  Rubens  himself  in 
the  "  golden  glow  "  which  is  much  admired  in  his  works. 
Many  sacred  pictures  by  Jordaens  are  seen  in  the  churches 
of  Flanders.  A  fine  historical  work  of  his  represents 
scenes  from  the  life  of  Prince  Frederick  Henry  of  Orange, 
and  is  in  the  House  of  the  Wood,  near  the  Hague  ;  but 
the  larger  part  of  his  pictures  represent  the  manners  and 


1 68  PAINTING. 

customs  of  the  common  people,  and  are  seen  in  public 
galleries. 

The  greatest  artist  among  the  pupils  of  Rubens,  as  well 
as  one  of  the  greatest  of  Flanders,  was  ANTHONY  Van- 
DVCK  (1 599-1641  j.  He  was  born  in  Antwerp,  and  was  the 
son  of  a  silk  merchant,  this  having  been  the  occupation  of 
the  Vandycks  for  several  generations.  The  mother  of  the 
painter  was  extremely  skilled  in  various  kinds  of  embroid- 
ery, and  had  such  artistic  tastes  as  enabled  her  to  make 
many  original  designs,  which  she  worked  out  with  her  nee- 
dle in  delicate  and  elaborate  tapestry  work. 

Some  people  believe  that  to  this  taste  and  talent  of  his 
mother's  Vandyck  owed  the  instinct  for  drawing  which 
he  early  showed  ;  at  all  events,  she  did  all  she  could  to  de- 
velop his  taste,  and  when  he  was  still  a  boy  she  persuaded 
her  husband  to  place  him  under  the  teaching  of  Henry  van 
Balen. 

He  was  still  quite  young  when  he  entered  the  studio  of 
Rubens,  and  was  soon  so  much  trusted  by  the  master  as  to 
be  allowed  to  make  drawings  from  his  works  for  the  use  of 
the  engravers.  This  sort  of  drawing  must  be  done  with  great 
care  and  exactness,  and  Vandyck  must  have  had  much  skill 
to  be  fitted  for  it.  His  fellow-pupils  also  had  great  faith  in 
him,  as  is  shown  by  the  story  that  one  day,  when  Rubens 
had  gone  out,  the  young  student  bribed  his  old  servant  to 
show  them  the  painting  with  which  the  niaster  was  then 
occupied.  While  jostling  each  other  it  happened  that  one 
of  them  hit  the  fresh  picture,  and  injured  it.  They  were 
much  alarmed,  and  begged  Vandyck  to  repair  it.  After 
some  hesitation  he  did  so,  and  was  so  successful  that  at 
first  Rubens  did  not  detect  the  fact  that  another  had  worked 
on  the  picture.  When  he  did  discover  it,  and  learned  the 
truth  about  it  he  forgave  the  offence  heartily. 

When  Vandyck  was  nineteen  years  old  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Society  of  Artists  in  Antwerp,  an  unusual  honor  to 


VANDYCK.  169 

one  of  his  age.  In  1620  Vandyck  went  to  England,  hav- 
ing been  invited  there  through  the  Earl  of  Arundel.  Little 
is  known  of  this  visit,  and  two  years  later  he  was  invited  to 
the  Hague,  where  he  spent  several  months. 

When  Vandyck  was  passing  through  Haarlem  he  went 
to  the  studio  of  Franz  Hals,  who  was  at  a  tavern  just  then. 
A  message  was  sent  him  saying  that  a  stranger  desired  to 
have  his  portrait  made,  and  had  but  two  hours  to  spare  for 
it.  Hals  hastened  home  and  dashed  oft'  the  portrait  within 
the  time  stated.  Vandyck  then  said,  "  Portrait-painting 
seems  to  be  a  simple  thing  ;  take  my  place,  and  give  me  the 
brush  for  awhile."  Hals  complied  with  the  request  and 
Vandyck  made  his  portrait  with  great  celerity.  Seeing  this, 
Hals  cried  out,  "  You  are  Vandyck  ;  he  alone  can  do  such 
work." 

The  young  artist  was  suddenly  called  to  the  death-bed 
of  his  father,  who  commanded  him  to  paint  a  picture  for  the 
Dominican  Sisters  who  had  cared  for  his  father  in  his  illness. 
Seven  years  later  Vandyck  presented  the  Sisters  with  a 
Crucifixion.  At  the  foot  of  the  cross  was  a  rock  upon 
which  was  inscribed,  in  Latin,  "Lest  the  earth  should  be 
heavy  upon  the  remains  of  his  father,  Anthony  Vandyck 
moved  this  rock  to  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  gave  it  to  this 
place."  When  the  monasteries  were  broken  up,  this  picture 
was  purchased  for  two  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  for 
the  Antwerp  Academy,  where  it  now  is. 

At  length  Vandyck  prepared  to  set  out  for  Italy.  WHien 
he  paid  his  farewell  visit  to  Rubens  he  presented  the  master 
with  three  of  his  pictures,  and  in  return  Rubens  gave  him 
one  of  his  finest  horses.  As  Vandyck  was  on  his  way  from 
Antwerp  to  Brussels  he  halted  at  the  village  of  Saventhem, 
where  he  fell  in  love  with  Anna  van  Ophem,  and  so  stayed 
on  in  the  lovely  valley  of  Flanders,  week  after  week,  as  if 
he  had  forgotten  that  Italy  existed.  Anna  persuaded  him 
to  paint  a  picture  for  the  village  church,  and  he  executed  a 


I/O  PAINTING. 

Holy  Family  in  which  the  Virgin  was  a  portrait  of  Anna, 
and  St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anna  were  drawn  from  her  father 
and  mother.  This  picture  pleased  the  church  authorities 
so  much  that  they  gave  the  young  painter  an  order  for  an- 
other; which  represented  St.  Martin  dividing  his  cloak 
with  beggars.  In  this  work  the  saint  was  a  portrait  of  Van- 
dyck,  and  the  horse  on  which  he  rode  was  like  that  which 
Rubens  had  given  him. 

This  picture  has  quite  a  history.  In  1758  the  priest 
agreed  to  sell  it  to  a  collector  from  the  Hague  for  one  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  dollars  ;  but  when  the  villagers  knew  of 
it  they  surrounded  the  church  with  clubs  and  pitchforks,  and 
drove  the  purchaser  away.  In  1806,  when  the  French  in- 
vaders tried  to  carry  it  away,  the  people  again  prevented  it, 
and  they  were  forced  to  call  more  soldiers  from  Brussels 
before  they  succeeded  in  taking  it.  The  St.  Martin  was 
placed  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  at  Paris,  but  was 
restored  to  Saventhem  in  18 15.  About  1850  a  rich  Amer- 
ican offered  twenty  thousand  dollars  for  the  picture,  no 
matter  who  brought  it  to  him.  Upon  this  a  set  of  rogues 
tried  to  steal  it  at  night;  but  the  dogs  of  the  village  gave 
such  an  alarm  that  the  town  was  roused,  and  the  robbers 
escaped  with  difficulty.  Since  then  a  guardian  sleeps  in  the 
church,  and  the  St.  Martin  is  still  there. 

The  news  that  Vandyck  was  thus  lingering  on  his  way 
to  Italy  reached  the  ears  of  Rubens,  and  he  sent  such 
urgent  messages  to  his  pupil  as  induced  him  to  continue  his 
journey,  and  he  also  sent  him  letters  of  introduction  to 
artists  and  to  nobles  whom  the  master  had  known  when  he 
made  his  studies  beyond  the  Alps. 

Vandyck  went  first  to  Venice,  where  he  worked  hard  to 
copy  and  learn  to  imitate  the  rich  color  and  refined  manner 
of  Titian  and  other  Venetian  masters.  He  also  painted 
some  original  pictures  in  Venice,  and  made  many  portraits 
which  gave  him  fame  in  that  and   other    cities.      He    was 


VANDYCK.  171 

asked  to  go  to  other  places  for  the  painting  of  portraits  ;  but 
he  remained  in  V'enice  until  his  money  was  spent,  and  then 
went  to  Genoa,  where  he  was  well  received  and  generously- 
employed  by  the  old  friends  of  Rubens.  His  works  are 
still  to  be  seen  in  some  of  the  palaces  of  that  city,  while 
some  have  been  sold  and  carried  to  other  countries — they 
were  so  fine  that  they  still  maintain  the  name  which  they 
gained  for  him  when  they  were  executed.  The  principal 
work  done  in  Genoa  was  a  picture  of  the  Lomellini  family 
which  is  now  in  Edinburgh;  it  is  about  nine  feet  square. 
His  different  visits  to  Genoa  during  his  absence  in  Italy 
make  up  a  period  of  about  three  years,  and  he  did  a  vast 
amount  of  work  there. 

When  he  first  went  to  Rome  Vandyck  was  invited  to 
the  house  of  Cardinal  Bentivoglio,  who  had  been  papal 
nuncio  to  Flanders,  and  for  whom  our  artist  made  a  picture 
of  the  Crucifixion.  The  full-length  portrait  which  Vandyck 
painted  of  the  cardinal  is  now  in  Florence  ;  a  copy  of  it  is 
in  one  of  the  halls  of  Harvard  College.  It  is  one  of  the  finest 
among  the  many  splendid  portraits  by  this  great  master. 

Vandyck  was  fascinated  with  Rome,  but  he  was  so  un- 
popular with  the  other  Flemish  painters  there  that  he  short- 
ened his  stay  in  the  Eternal  City  in  order  to  escape  the  vexa- 
tions he  there  received.  The  artists  disliked  him  for  his 
ostentation,  and  he  was  called  II pittore  cavalieresco — and  he 
offended  them  by  declining  to  associate  with  them  at 
taverns  or  to  join  their  coarse  festivities.  After  leaving 
Rome  he  visited  Palermo,  from  which  place  he  was  driven 
away  by  the  appearance  of  the  plague.  He  returned  to 
Genoa,  visited  Florence  and  other  cities  in  the  north  of 
Italy,  and  finally  returned  to  Antwerp  after  an  absence  of 
four  years. 

During  the  first  years  after  his  return  he  met  with  small 
success — Rubens  was  so  great  that  he  filled  all  the  space 
about  him — but  at  last,  in  1628,  Vandyck  began  to  receive 


172  PAINTING. 

important  commissions,  and  from  this  time  was  constantly 
busy  with  works  for  the  churches  of  the  Low  Countries. 
He  also  painted  portraits  of  many  notable  persons,  and 
made  great  numbers  of  them  in  brown  and  white  for  the 
use  of  engravers.  While  Vandyck  was  thus  executing  great 
numbers  of  fine  pictures  for  the  embellishment  of  Flanders, 
he  became  so  unpopular  and  his  rivals  said  such  hard 
things  of  him  that  he  determined  to  go  away.  One  of  his 
unfortunate  experiences  was  in  the  house  of  the  bishop, 
who  had  sent  for  him  to  paint  his  portrait.  Vandyck  had 
first  sent  his  implements  to  the  care  of  the  porter  of  the 
palace.  When  he  went  himself  he  was  taken  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  bishop,  who  was  reclining  on  a  sofa,  and  gave 
little  attention  to  the  artist.  At  last  the  bishop  asked  if  he 
had  not  come  to  paint  his  portrait.  Vandyck  declared  him- 
self to  be  quite  at  the  service  of  his  lordship.  "  Why,  then."' 
said  the  bishop,  "do  you  not  go  for  your  implements? 
Do  you  expect  me  to  fetch  them  for  you  ?  "  Vandyck 
calmly  replied,  "  Since  you  have  not  ordered  your  servants 
to  bring  them  I  supposed  that  you  wished  to  do  it  your- 
self." Then  the  bishop  leaped  up  in  anger  and  cried  out, 
"Anthony,  Anthony,  you  are  a  little  asp,  but  you  have  a 
great  deal  of  venom  !  "  Vandyck  thought  it  safe  to  make 
his  escape,  and  after  he  crossed  the  threshold  he  called 
back,  "  My  lord  Van  der  Burch,  you  are  a  voluminous  per- 
sonage, but  you  are  like  the  cinnamon  tree.  The  bark  is 
the  best  part  of  you." 

In  1629  Vandyck  went  to  England  with  the  hope  of  be- 
ing employed  by  King  Charles  I.  ;  but  he  was  not  able  even 
to  get  an  introduction  to  the  sovereign,  and  went  to  the 
continent  filled  with  mortification.  At  length,  however, 
Charles  called  him  to  London,  whither  he  went  in  1632, 
and  soon  became  the  friend  of  the  king  as  well  as  his  fa- 
vorite artist.  He  was  assigned  a  city  and  a  country  resi- 
dence, and  within  three  months  of  the  time  of  his  arrival  at 


VANDYCK.  173 

court  the  king  knighted  him,  and  gave  him  a  gold  chain 
with  a  portrait  of  himself  set  in  brilliants  suspended  from  it. 
Charles  was  in  the  habit  of  passing  much  time  with  Van- 
dyck,  and  the  studio  of  the  court-painter  became  one  of 
the  most  fashionable  resorts  in  London  for  the  courtiers 
and  other  distinguished  people. 

Vandyck  kept  up  a  fine  establishment,  and  lived  luxuri- 
ously. He  had  a  habit  of  asking  his  sitters  to  dinner  ;  thus 
he  could  study  their  faces  and  retouch  their  portraits  with 
the  more  natural  expressions  of  their  conversational  hours, 
for  it  is  rare  that  one  is  natural  when  posing  before  an  ar- 
tist who  is  painting  one's  portrait.  But  in  the  midst  of  his 
busy  life  as  an  artist  and  his  gay  life  as  a  man  of  the  world. 
Sir  Anthony  did  not  forget  the  needs  of  his  brother  paint- 
ers. There  was  at  that  time  no  club  or  place  where  artists 
met  socially  to  consult  and  aid  each  other  in  their  profes- 
sion. Vandyck  founded  the  Club  of  St.  Luke  ;  it  met  at 
the  Rose  Tavern,  and  all  painters  of  talent  living  in  London 
joined  it.  One  of  the  more  personal  acts  of  kindness  which 
are  related  of  him  is  that  having  seen  by  chance  a  picture 
which  was  painted  by  William  Dobson,  Vandyck  sought 
him  out,  found  him  in  a  poor  garret,  instructed  him  with 
great  care,  introduced  him  to  the  king,  and,  in  short,  by 
his  kind  offices  so  prepared  the  way  that  Dobson  was  made 
sergeant-painter  to  the  king  after  Vandyck's  death,  and 
won  the  title  of  "  the  English  Tintoretto." 

The  portraits  which  Vandyck  executed  in  England  are 
numbered  by  hundreds  and  are  magnificent  pictures.  Those 
of  the  royal  family  are  very  numerous  and  important,  and 
there  is  scarcely  a  man  or  woman  belonging  to  this  period 
whose  name  has  come  down  to  us  in  history  or  literature, 
whose  portrait  he  did  not  paint.  He  also  made  thirteen 
portraits  of  himself  which  are  still  preserved.  He  was  very 
skilful  in  painting  horses  and  dogs,  and  frequently  intro- 
duced these  animals  into  his  portrait  groups. 


174  PAINTING. 

There  is  a  large  collection  of  the  pictures  of  Vandyck  at 
Windsor  Castle  ;  there  are  many  also  in  the  private  gal- 
leries of  Great  Britain  and  other  countries,  besides  a  goodly 
number  in  the  public  galleries  of  Europe.  He  executed  at 
least  thirty-six  portraits  of  Charles  I.,  as  many  as  twenty- 
five  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  and  he  also  painted  several 
groups  of  the  children  of  the  royal  pair.  Prince  Rupert  of 
the  Rhine  and  Thomas  Wentworth,  Earl  of  Straftbrd,  were 
also  frequently  portrayed  by  him,  and  one  of  his  most  im- 
portant large  works  was  a  family  picture  of  the  Earl  of 
Pembroke  and  his  household.  It  is  called  the  Wilton 
Family,  as  it  is  in  a  salon  at  Wilton  House  ;  it  contains 
eleven  figures,  and  has  been  called  "the  first  and  most 
magnificent  historic  portraiture  in  the  world."  Again,  it  is 
said  to  be  stiff,  wanting  in  harmony,  bad  in  color,  and  so 
on,  but  after  all  it  still  remains  a  splendid  monument  to  the 
skill  and  genius  of  Vandyck.  The  picture  is  twenty  feet 
long  by  twelve  feet  high. 

Vandyck  painted  no  portraits  of  the  Puritans  nor  popu- 
lar leaders  of  his  day ;  neither  did  he  of  the  literary  men 
who  flourished  at  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  court 
poets.  Sir  John  Suckling  and  Thomas  Carew. 

I  shall  not  give  a  list  of  Vandyck's  historical  and  religious 
pictures,  though  they  are  quite  numerous.  They  are  not 
as  interesting  as  his  portraits,  and  we  have  not  space  to  give 
them.  His  ambition,  however,  was  never  satisfied,  for  he 
wished  to  do  some  great  historical  work.  At  one  time  his 
opportunity  seemed  to  have  come,  for  the  great  banqucting- 
room  of  Whitehall  Palace,  the  ceiling  of  which  Rubens  had 
painted,  still  remained  with  plain  walls.  Vandyck  desired 
to  paint  on  them  the  history  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter. 
The  project  was  laid  before  the  king,  and  he  desired  sketches 
to  be  made  for  the  work,  and  one  of  them,  the  "  Procession 
of  the  Knights  of  the  Garter,"  was  sold  after  the  execution 
of  the  king  for  five  pounds.     It  was  owned  by  Sir  Peter 


VANDVCK.  175 

Lely  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  and  is  now  at  Belvoir  in  the 
collection  of  the  Duke  of  Rutland.  We  cannot  help  being 
sorry  for  Vandyck's  great  disappointment  when  he  knew 
that  his  work  could  not  be  done.  He  was  weak  in  health 
and  much  in  debt,  for  the  king  could  not  pay  him  his 
pension  nor  what  he  owed  him  for  pictures.  The  artist 
grew  sad  and  discouraged.  He  sought  relief  in  the  study 
of  alchemy,  and  indulged  the  vain  hope  of  discovering  some 
chemical  means  of  making  gold  from  base  metals.  All 
this  wasted  his  time  and  means,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  he  was  less  wise  than  his  master,  for  when  an  alchemist 
tried  to  interest  Rubens  in  the  same  subject,  that  great 
artist  replied  :  "  You  come  too  late,  my  good  fellow  ;  I 
have  long  since  discovered  the  philosopher's  stone.  My 
palette  and  brushes  are  worth  far  more  than  any  other 
secret." 

The  king  and  all  Vandyck's  friends  were  troubled  by 
his  state  of  health  and  mind,  and  a  marriage  was  brought 
about  for  him  with  the  hope  that  he  would  be  a  happier 
man.  His  wife  was  Maria  Ruthven,  a  lovely  Scotch  girl 
who  held  a  high  position  among  the  attendants  of  the  queen. 
Not  long  after  his  marriage  Vandyck  took  her  to  Flanders, 
where  he  enjoyed  much  the  honorable  reception  which 
he  met  with  in  revisiting  the  scenes  of  his  childhood  and 
youth.  But  having  learned  that  Louis  XHI.  was  about 
to  adorn  a  large  gallery  in  the  Louvre,  Vandyck  hastened 
to  Paris  hoping  to  obtain  the  commission.  He  was  too 
late — the  work  had  been  given  to  Poussin,  and  Vandyck  re- 
turned to  London  greatly  disheartened. 

While  at  Antwerp  he  had  received  much  attention,  as, 
indeed,  had  been  the  case  before,  for  in  1634  he  had  been 
elected  Dean  of  the  Confraternity  of  St.  Luke  and  a  great 
feast  was  held  in  his  honor.  When  he  came  now  to  London 
the  social  atmosphere  was  full  of  sadness.  The  political 
troubles,  which  were  finally  so  terrible  in  England,  had  al- 


176  PAINTING. 

ready  become  alarming.  In  a  few  months  the  Earl  of  Straf- 
ford was  executed,  and  Vandyck  saw  the  royal  family,  to 
whom  he  was  so  much  attached,  surrounded  with  danger 
and  at  last  separated. 

His  physical  health  was  already  delicate,  and  his  sorrows 
brought  on  a  disease  from  which  he  soon  died.  He  con- 
tinued to  work  until  the  very  last  days  of  his  life.  Eight 
days  before  his  death  his  daughter  was  born  ;  she  was 
named  Justiniana,  and  when  she  grew  up  married  an  English 
baronet.  Sir  John  Stepney. 

A  short  time  before  Vandyck  died  the  king  came  from 
the  North  to  London,  and  though  he  was  overburdened  with 
his  own  cares  and  griefs  he  found  time  to  sorrow  for  the 
condition  of  his  friend  and  artist.  He  offered  his  physician 
three  hundred  pounds  if  he  would  save  the  life  of  Sir 
Anthony  ;  but  nothing  availed  to  baffle  his  disease,  and  he 
died  December  9,  1641.  Two  days  later  he  was  buried 
in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  It  is  said  that  many  nobles  and 
artists  attended  his  funeral,  which  was  conducted  with  im- 
pressive ceremony.  The  fire  which  destroyed  St.  Paul's 
made  it  impossible  to  say  exactly  where  Vandyck  was  laid, 
but  his  coffin-plate  was  found  at  the  time  of  the  burial  of 
Benjamin  West. 

There  were  no  artists  of  importance  after  the  time  of 
Rubens  and  his  followers  whom  we  call  Flemish  artists. 
There  were  good  painters,  certainly,  belonging  to  the 
schools  of  Flanders ;  but  these  schools  had  reached  their 
highest  excellence  and  were  on  the  decline,  and  so  we  pass 
to  the  Dutch  school,  or  the  painters  of  Holland. 

There  was  doubtless  a  very  early  school  of  Dutch  paint- 
ers, dating  back  to  the  fourteenth  century  even  ;  but  the 
records  of  it  are  so  imperfect,  and  so  few  pictures  remain 
from  its  early  days,  that  for  our  purpose  it  is  best  to  pass 
over  the  fifteenth  century  and  say  that  during  the  sixteenth 
century  the  painters  of  Holland  gave  up  the  painting  of  sa- 


FRANZ   HALS.  1 77 

cred  subjects  very  largely,  and  began  to  take  on  the  charac- 
teristics of  what  is  generally  known  now  as  the  Dutch 
School.  This  school  is  distinguished  for  its  portraits,  which 
form  a  large  and  important  part  of  its  painting  ;  next  for 
its  domestic  scenes,  which  are  realistic  and  true  to  life  in  an 
astonishing  degree. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  Holland 
had  obtained  a  position  as  a  nation  that  freed  its  artists 
from  the  influence  of  the  Romish  Church  and  the  fear  of  the 
Inquisition,  and  they  soon  used  their  freedom  to  establish  a 
national  art,  and  one  which  became  very  important  to  the 
world.  Franz  Hals  (i  584-1666)  was  the  most  noteworthy 
of  the  portrait-painters.  He  was  born  at  Mechlin,  but 
passed  most  of  his  life  at  Haarlem.  There  was  a  custom  in 
Holland  of  painting  portraits  of  the  members  of  guilds  and 
societies  in  groups,  and  some  such  works  of  his  at  Haarlem 
are  very  fine.  I  have  told  a  story  of  his  rapid  manner  in 
the  sketch  of  Vandyck.  He  was  the  first  master  to  introduce 
that  free,  bold,  sleight-of-hand  manner  which  was  afterward 
used  by  the  Dutch  masters,  and  is  so  strong  in  its  efYect. 
This  painter  led  a  merry,  careless  life.  His  portraits  of  sin- 
gle heads  or  figures  are  rare,  and  his  small  genre  subjects 
still  more  so.  In  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at  Haarlem  there  are 
as  many  as  eight  of  his  large  works,  most  of  them  having 
ten  or  a  dozen  portraits. 

The  Dutch  painters  of  still-life — flowers,  dead  game  and 
poultry,  and  metals,  glass,  and  other  beautiful  objects — 
were  very  skilful,  and  have  never  been  surpassed.  The 
names  of  these  masters  would  make  a  long  list.  There  is  lit- 
tle to  be  told  of*  the  circumstances  of  their  lives,  though 
their  works  are  seen  in  most  European  galleries,  and  well 
repay  one  for  careful  examination. 

Another  form  of  Dutch  art  is  the  representation  of 
scenes  from  peasant  life,  and  there  were  some  very  eminent 
painters  who  devoted  themselves  to  these  subjects  entirely. 


178 


PAIN'TING. 


The  interiors  of  inns  with  men  smoking  and  drinking,  play- 
ing cards  or  making  jokes,  were  subjects  many  times  re- 
peated ;  dancing  villagers,  fetes,  and  fairs  were  often  pic- 
tured, and  in  all  these  scenes  everything  was  given  exactly 
to  the  life.  It  follows  that  these  pictures  of  coarse,  vulgar 
people  engaged  in  rude  amusements  cannot  he  beautiful ; 


Fig.  57. — Portrait  of  an  Ofkicf.r.     By  Fram  ILils. 

but  they  are  oftentimes  wonderful.  Among  the  most  noted 
names  in  this  kind  of  painting  are  those  cf  Adrian  Brauwer, 
the  Van  Ostades,  the  Teniers,  and  Jan  Steen.  Most  of 
these  artists  executed  small  pictures  only.  I  shall  speak 
particularly  of  but  one  of  these  Dutch  ^iv/;r  painters — DA- 
VID Teniers  the  younger  (1610-1694).  who  became  the 
greatest  painter  of  his   time  of  scenes   from  common  life. 


TENIERS.  179 

This  is  very  great  praise,  because  there  were  many  Dutch 
and  several  Flemish  painters  who  were  noted  for  such  pic- 
tures. This  Teniers  studied  with  his  father,  but  his  works 
show  that  he  was  much  influenced  by  Rubens.  He  ex- 
celled in  guard-house  scenes  and  peasant  life  in  every  as- 
pect. In  representations  of  the  alchemist  also  he  was  un- 
equalled, as  well  as  in  fairs  and  festivals  of  every  sort.  He 
sometimes  painted  sacred  subjects,  but  they  are  the  least 
praiseworthy  of  all  his  works. 

The  pictures  of  Teniers  are  very  numerous.  One  author 
describes  nine  hundred  of  his  works  which  are  known  to  be 
genuine,  and  it  is  believed  that  there  may  be  one  hundred 
more.  He  often  represented  a  great  number  of  figures  on  one 
canvas.  At  Schleissheim  there  was  a  large  picture,  thirteen 
and  a  half  feet  by  ten  feet  in  size,  which  contained  one 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  figures.  It  was  not 
unusual  for  him  to  paint  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred  figures  in  a  single  picture  of  moderate  size. 
He  had  a  light,  brilliant  touch,  his  color  was  exquisite,  and 
his  arrangement  of  his  subjects  was  verj'-  picturesque.  His 
chief  fault  was  a  resemblance  in  his  heads,  and  for  this  rea- 
son those  pictures  with  the  fewest  figures  are  his  best  works. 

Teniers  had  several  royal  patrons,  and  earned  sufficient 
money  to  live  in  handsome  style  in  his  home  in  Perck,  not 
far  from  Mechlin.  He  chose  this  place  in  order  to  be  near 
the  peasant  classes,  whose  life  was  his  chief  study.  He  also 
excelled  in  his  ability  to  imitate  the  styles  of  other  masters. 
In  the  Vienna  Gallery  there  is  a  curious  work  of  his  which 
represents  the  walls  of  a  room  hung  with  fifty  pictures,  im- 
itating those  of  various  Italian  masters;  in  the  foreground 
are  portraits  of  Teniers  and  the  Archduke  Leopold  William, 
who  are  represented  as  conversing  with  each  other. 

Teniers  reached  his  excellence  early  in  life,  and  was  but 
twenty-two  years  old  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  Guild 
of  Painters   at   Antwerp.     That   Rubens  was  his  friend   is 


l8o  PAINTIiNG. 

proved  by  the  fact  that  when  Teniers  married  the  daughter 
of  Jan  Breughel,  in  1637,  that  great  master  was  one  of  the 
witnesses  to  the  ceremony.  In  1656  he  married  his  second 
wife,  the  daughter  of  the  Secretary  of  State  for  Brabant. 
By  his  artistic  and  personal  merits  Teniers  gained  a  higher 
place  in  society  than  was  ever  held  by  any  other^^'«;v  paint- 
er of  the  Flemish  or  Dutch  schools.  He  was  eighty-four 
years  old  when  he  died,  and  was  active  and  industrious  up 
to  the  close  of  his  life. 

Although  Teniers  had  such  good  fortune  during  his  life, 
I  fancy  he  would  have  been  surprised  if  he  could  have 
known  what  his  fame  would  be  now,  or  what  prices  would 
be  paid  for  his  pictures  about  two  centuries  after  his  death. 
The  "  Flemish  Kermes  "  was  bought  for  the  Brussels  Mu- 
seum in  1867  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  at  the 
San  Donato  sale,  in  1880,  the  "Prodigal  Son"  sold  for 
sixteen  thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  and  the  "  Five 
Senses  "  for  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  It  is  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish the  etchings  of  the  son  from  those  of  the  father, 
David  Teniers  the  elder,  though  it  is  well  known  that  the 
son  executed  such  works. 

Gerard  H0NTH0RST(i  592-1660)  was  also  a  painter  of 
genre  scenes,  and  many  of  his  works  had  figures  of  life  size. 
His  chief  distinction,  however,  was  that  of  painting  the  ef- 
fects of  artificial  lights.  He  was  famous  in  England  and 
Italy  as  well  as  in  his  own  country,  and  the  Italians  called 
him  "  Gherardo  della  Notte,''  or  Gerard  of  the  Night,  be- 
cause he  painted  so  many  night-scenes  lighted  by  candles, 
lamps,  and  torches. 

Then  there  was  a  class  of  Dutch  artists  who  represented 
the  interiors  of  fine  houses — rooms  with  all  sorts  of  beauti- 
ful furniture  and  ornaments,  with  ladies  and  gentlemen  in 
splendid  costumes.  They  tried  to  show  the  effects  of  light 
upon  satins,  glass,  metals,  and  other  shining  objects.  They 
painted  with  great   care,  and   finished  their  pictures  in  the 


REMBRANDT.  l8l 

most  perfect  manner.  Gerhard  Terburg  (1608-16S1), 
Gerhard  Dow  (1613-1675),  and  Gabriel  Metsu  (1615- 
after  1667)  were  all  remarkable  for  works  of  this  kind. 

PlETER  DE  HOOGE,  who  worked  from  1628  to  167 1,  and 
of  whose  life  little  is  know^n,  painted  similar  pictures  of 
courtyards  as  well  as  of  rooms  in  houses.  The  list  of  the 
names  of  all  these  Dutch  masters  cannot  be  given  here,  and 
I  hasten  to  tell  you  of  one  whose  name  and  fame  is  so  great 
that  when  we  hear  of  Dutch  art  we  always  think  first  of 
him,  because  he  stands  out  as  its  head. 

Rembrandt  van  Ryn(  1607- 1669)  was  born  at  Leyden, 
and  w^as  educated  by  his  parents  with  the  hope  that  he 
would  be  a  scholar  and  a  prominent  man  in  Leyden.  But 
his  taste  for  drawing  and  painting  would  not  be  put  aside, 
and  in  1620  he  entered  the  studio  of  J.  J.  van  Swanenburg, 
where  he  learned  the  first  lessons  in  his  art,  and  was  then 
placed  under  the  teaching  of  Pieter  Lastman  in  Amsterdam, 
where  he  remained  only  six  months,  after  which  he  returned 
to  his  father's  house,  and  there  lived  for  seven  years.  He 
was  not  far  from  seventeen  years  old  when  he  thus  left  the 
usual  course  of  study.  From  this  time  he  gave  himself  up 
to  close  observation  of  nature  in  every  form. 

He  studied  broad  landscapes — farms,  groves,  gardens, 
rivers,  canals,  sunshine,  clouds,  and  shadows,  and  with  and 
above  all  these,  the  human  faces  that  he  saw,  as  well  as  the 
varying  forms,  movements,  and  peculiarities  of  the  men  and 
women  about  him.  That  nothing  escaped  his  observation 
is  proved  by  the  works  he  did  in  later  life. 

In  1630  Rembrandt  settled  in  Amsterdam,  which  was 
called  the  "Venice  of  the  North,"  and  was  the  centre  of 
northern  commerce,  civilization,  and  the  activity  of  political 
and  intellectual  life.  Rembrandt  was  no  sooner  established 
in  his  studio  on  one  of  the  western  quays  than  he  was 
pressed  with  orders  for  pictures  and  applications  from 
young  men  who  desired  his  instructions.    The  years  follow- 


l82 


PAINTING. 


ing  were  crowded  with  work — with  painting  and  engraving. 
Rembrandt  is  called  the  "  Prince  of  Etchers,"  and  he  used 
the  etching  needle  most  skilfully,  but  ho  also  employed  the 
dry-point  and  even  the  graver  in  finishing.  Thus  he  may 
be  said  to  have  established  a  new  school  of  engraving  of 
great  excellence. 


Fig.  58.— One  ok  Rkmhrandi  ^  Ihkiuaits  of  Himsklk. 


It  would  seem  that  in  these  early  years  one  of  his  amuse- 
ments was  to  make  etchings  of  himself.  In  one  year,  1630- 
31 ,  he  made  nineteen  of  these  portraits  in  different  costumes 
and  positions,  with  as  many  kinds  of  e.vprcssion  on  his  face. 
He  often  repeated  the  portrait  of  his  mother  also. 

In  1632  he  painted  the  "  School  of  Anatomy,"  now  one 


1 84  PAINTING. 

of  the  gems  of  the  fine  gallery  at  the  Hague.  It  represents 
a  lecture  by  Professor  Tulp,  who  is  dissecting  the  arm  of  a 
dead  body  and  explaining  its  structure  to  seven  other  sur- 
geons. It  is  a  wonderful  picture  and  one  of  the  most 
famous  works  of  this  great  master.  In  1828  it  was  sold  for 
the  benefit  of  the  fund  for  surgeons'  widows,  and  the  Dutch 
Government  paid  thirty-two  thousand  florins  for  it.  This 
picture  is  in  a  certain  way  a  portrait  picture,  and  comes 
within  the  class  of  Dutch  pictures  of  which  I  have  spoken 
as  portraits  of  guilds  and  societies  ;  for  Tulp  was  very  fa- 
mous, and  Rembrandt  probably  attended  his  lectures,  and 
was  chosen  by  him  to  be  the  painter  of  this  celebrated  por- 
trait of  himself  surrounded  by  members  of  his  guild. 

Rembrandt's  influence  upon  the  art  of  his  time  was  very 
great  almost  from  the  beginning  of  his  career.  About  1634 
he  introduced  his  manner  of  portrait-painting,  with  dark 
backgrounds  and  deep  shadows  on  the  face,  with  a  bright 
light  on  the  cheek  and  nose  passing  down  to  the  shoulder, 
and  immediately  other  artists  adopted  this  manner.  They 
considered  it  a  necessity  to  imitate  him,  so  much  was  he 
admired. 

In  1634  Rembrandt  married  Saskia  van  Ulenburg,  who 
was  very  beautiful  and  of  an  aristocratic  and  wealtliy 
family.  She  was  only  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  she 
married,  and  Rembrandt  painted  many  portraits  of  her  be- 
sides making  her  his  model  for  beautiful  figures  in  his 
mythological  and  sacred  subjects.  She  lived  but  eight 
years  after  her  marriage,  which  were  the  happiest  of  the 
artist's  life.  She  left  but  one  child,  a  son  named  Titus,  and 
showed  her  confidence  in  her  husband  by  leaving  all  her 
fortune  to  him,  with  the  single  stipulation  that  their  son 
should  be  properly  educated. 

After  the  death  of  Saskia  it  seems  that  the  only  thought 
of  the  master  was  to  work  without  rest,  and  in  this  way  to 
drown  the  remembrance  of  his  sorrow.     There  is  little  ma- 


REMBRANDT.  1 85 

terial  for  a  story  of  his  life — it  is  told  in  his  pictures.  The 
house  in  which  Saskia  lived  was  very  fine,  and  Rembrandt 
was  so  fond  of  collecting  all  sorts  of  curious  and  beautiful 
objects  that  he  finally  made  himself  poor,  and  his  collection 
was  sold.  He  never  travelled,  and  some  writers  have  said 
that  he  was  ignorant  of  classic  art ;  but  the  list  of  his  col- 
lections proves  that  he  had  busts  of  Homer  and  Socrates 
and  copies  of  ancient  sculptures,  such  as  the  "Laocoon,"  a 
"  Cupid,"  and  so  on.  He  also  had  pictures  of  some  of  the 
best  Italian  masters.  After  the  sale  of  his  home  and  all  his 
rare  objects  he  hired  a  house  on  the  Rosengracht  near  the 
West  Church.  This  house  still  stands,  and  has  a  shield 
dated  1652,  though  the  artist  did  not  live  there  until  1658. 

His  life  here  was  not  lonely  or  desolate.  He  had  many 
friends  in  Amsterdam  who  did  not  forget  him.  He  was 
near  the  bastions  of  the  city,  and  had  not  far  to  go  to  sketch, 
as  he  loved  to  do,  and  he  was  busy  with  his  brush  until 
1662,  wiien  he  did  nothing  of  which  we  know.  In  1666  he 
executed  four  pictures.  Among  his  works  of  1667  there  is 
a  portrait  of  himself  which  is  of  great  interest.  In  October, 
1668,  Rembrandt  died  after  a  short  illness.  He  was  buried 
in  the  West  Church,  and  his  funeral  was  so  simple  that  its 
cost  was  registered  as  only  fifteen  florins. 

Rembrandt's  pictures  are  so  numerous  and  so  varied  in 
their  subjects  that  no  adequate  list  or  account  of  them  can 
be  given  here.  And  his  numerous  engravings  are  as  in- 
teresting as  his  pictures,  so  that  a  volume  would  scarcely 
suffice  to  do  him  justice  ;  but  I  will  try  to  tell  something  of 
his  style.  His  management  of  light  was  his  most  striking 
characteristic.  He  generally  threw  a  strong,  vivid  light 
upon  the  central  or  important  object,  whether  it  was  a  single 
figure  or  a  group,  and  the  rest  of  the  picture  was  in  shadow. 
This  is  true  of  all  his  works,  almost  without  exception — 
portraits,  pictures  both  large  and  small,  and  etchings. 

Rembrandt  loved  to  paint  unusual  things.     We  are  apt 


1 86  PAINTING. 

to  think  that  an  unusual  thing  is  not  natural ;  but  if  we  closely 
observe  nature,  especially  the  effect  of  light  and  shade,  we 
shall  find  that  no  imagination  could  make  pictures  more 
wonderful  than  the  reality  we  see.  Rembrandt  had  that 
keen  observation  that  helped  him  to  seize  upon  the  sharp 
features — the  strong  points  in  a  scene  or  a  person — and 
then  he  had  the  skill  to  reproduce  these  things  on  his  canvas 
with  great  truth. 

His  etchings  are  much  prized.  One  of  the  most  famous 
represents  Christ  healing  the  sick,  and  is  called  the 
"  Hundred  Guilders  Print,"  because  that  sum  was  the  price 
he  fixed  for  it ;  nov/  a  good  impression  of  it  is  M'orth  ten 
times  as  much.  At  his  death  he  left  about  six  hundred 
pictures  and  four  hundred  engravings.  His  landscapes  are 
his  rarest  subjects.  Most  of  these  are  in  private  collections, 
but  I  have  seen  one  in  the  Cassel  Gallery  ;  the  color  of  it  is 
bright  and  glowing — the  sky  magnificent.  In  the  fore- 
ground there  is  a  bridge,  and  on  an  eminence  are  the  ruins 
of  a  castle. 

Some  fine  works  by  Rembrandt  are  in  England,  and 
very  large  prices  have  been  paid  for  them.  In  1867 
"  Christ  Blessing  Little  Children  "  was  sold  for  seven  thou- 
sand pounds.  At  the  San  Donato  sale  in  Florence,  in  1880, 
"  Lucretia "  brought  twenty-nine  thousand  two  hundred 
dollars,  and  a  "  Portrait  of  a  Young  Woman  "  nearl}'  as 
much. 

Among  Rembrandt's  pupils  Gerbrandt  van  der  Eeck- 
hout  holds  a  high  rank,  and  his  pictures  are  seen  in  many 
galleries. 

Among  the  landscape  painters  of  Holland  Ali?ert 
CUYP  (1605-1691)  is  very  famous.  He  sometimes  intro- 
duced figures  and  animals  into  his  pictures,  but  they  were 
of  secondary  importance  ;  the  scenery  was  his  chief  thought. 
His  works  are  in  many  galleries,  and  the  increase  in  their 
value  is  marvellous.     Sir  Robert  Peel  bought  a  landscape, 


LANDSCAPE    PAINTERS.  1 87 

twelve  by  twenty  inches  in  size,  for  which  he  paid  three 
hundred  and  fifty  guineas  :  it  was  originally  sold  in  Holland 
for  about  one  English  shilling  !  During  the  first  century 
after  his  death  no  picture  by  Cuyp  brought  more  than 
thirty  florins  ;   now  they  cost  almost  their  weight  in  gold. 

Other  fine  landscape  painters  were  Jan  and  Andries 
Both,  Jan  van  Goyen,  Jan  Wynants,  Adrian  van  de  Velde, 
and,  finally,  PHILIP  WuUVERMAN  (1619-1668),  who  in- 
troduced much  life  into  his  works.  He  painted  battles, 
hunting  parties,  and  such  subjects  as  allowed  him  to  intro- 
duce white  horses,  for  which  he  became  noted.  His  works, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  other  painters  last  mentioned,  are 
valuable.  There  are  so  many  in  galleries  which  are  at- 
tributed to  Wouverman  that  it  is  doubtful  if  they  are  all 
genuine.  He  had  animation  and  fine  feeling  for  the  pictur- 
esque. His  execution  was  light  and  delicate,  and  there  is 
much  tenderness  shown  in  his  works.  There  were  many 
e.xcellent  Dutch  landscape  painters  whom  we  have  not 
mentioned. 

Paul  Potter  (1625-1654)  was  born  at  Enkhuysen,  and 
though  he  died  young  he  made  himself  a  great  and  endur- 
ing reputation  by  his  pictures  of  animals.  "Paul  Potter's 
Bull,"  which  is  in  the  gallery  at  the  Hague,  is  as  well  known 
as  any  one  picture  the  world  over.  He  left  one  hundred 
and  eight  pictures  and  eighteen  etchings.  He  was  most 
successful  in  representing  cattle  and  sheep  ;  his  horses  are 
not  as  fine.  He  never  crowded  his  pictures  ;  they  have  an 
open  landscape,  but  few  animals,  and  perhaps  a  shepherd, 
and  that  is  all.  Some  of  his  pictures  have  been  valued  as 
high  as  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Jacob  Ruysdael  (1625-168 i)  was  born  in  the  same 
year  with  Paul  Potter.  His  birth-place  was  Haarlem.  He 
came  to  be  the  very  best  of  all  Dutch  landscape  painters, 
and  though  most  of  his  pictures  represent  the  dull,  unin- 
teresting scenery  of  Holland,  they  are  so  skilfully  drawn 


1 88  Painting. 

and  painted  that  they  are  really  most  attractive,  if  not 
cheerful.  His  works  number  about  four  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  pictures  and  seven  fine,  spirited  etchings.  He  was 
fond  of  giving  a  broad,  expansive  effect  to  his  pictures,  and 
frequently  placed  church  spires  in  the  distance.  He  painted 
a  (e\v  marine  views  with  rough  seas  and  cloudy  skies. 
Though  many  of  his  works  are  gloom\-,  he  sometimes 
painted  sunshine  with  much  effect.  Some  of  his  finest 
works  are  in  the  Dresden  Gallery. 

MiNDERT  HOBBEMA  was  a  pupil  of  Jacob  Ruysdael,  and 
this  is  almost  all  that  is  known  of  him  personally  ;  but  his 
pictures  show  that  he  was  a  great  landscape  painter.  They 
sell  for  enormous  sums,  and  many  of  the  best  are  in  Eng- 
land. Most  of  those  seen  in  the  continental  galleries  are 
not  those  he  should  be  judged  by.  At  the  San  Donato 
sale  in  Florence,  his  picture  of  the  "  Wind-Mills"  sold  for 
forty-two  thousand  dollars. 

The  number  of  reputable  Dutch  painters  is  very  large,  but 
I  shall  mention  no  more  names.  After  the  great  men  whom 
we  have  spoken  of  there  comes  an  army  of  those  who  are 
called  "  little  Dutch  masters,"  and  their  principal  work  was 
making  copies  from  the  pictures  of  the  greater  artists. 

In  the  history  of  what  we  know  as  German  art  wc  hnd 
a  very  early  school  at  Cologne,  but  the  records  of  it  are  so 
scarce  and  imperfect  that  I  shall  give  no  account  of  it  here. 
At  Augsburg  there  was  an  important  school  of  art  which 
commenced  with  the  Holbeins.  The  first  Hans  Holbein  is 
known  as  "  Old  Holbein,"  and  so  little  is  known  of  him  that 
I  shall  merely  give  his  name.  The  second  Hans  Holbein, 
called  the  elder  (1460-1523),  painted  a  great  number  of 
religious  pictures,  which  are  seen  in  various  churches  and 
galleries  in  Germany.  Some  of  the  best  are  in  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Augsburg.  In  one  salon  of  the  Munich  Pinakothek 
there  are  sixteen  panels  painted  by  him.  But  it  was  Hans 
Holbein  the  third,  known  as  "  the  younger,"  who  reached 


IIOLBKIN.  18^ 

the  perfection  of  his  school  (1495-1543).  This  painter  was 
instructed  by  his  father  and  by  Hans  Burgkmair.  He  was 
but  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  began  to  receive  commis- 
sions for  pictures.  When  he  was  about  twenty-one  years 
old  he  removed  to  Basic,  and  there  he  painted  many 
pictures,  though  not  nearly  as  many  as  have  been  called 
by  his  name. 

About  a  year  after  Holbein  went  to  Basle  he  was  called 
to  Lucerne  to  decorate  a  house,  and  he  executed  other 
works  there  and  at  Altorf.  In  15 19,  when  he  had  been 
three  years  in  Basle,  he  became  a  citizen  of  that  town  and 
a  member  of  its  guild  of  painters.  His  works  at  Basle 
were  mostly  decorative,  and  he  painted  few  easel  pictures 
there. 

Holbein  married  a  widow  with  one  son  ;  her  name  was 
Elizabeth  Schmid.  She  had  a  very  bad  temper.  It  is  said 
that  she  made  Holbein's  life  so  miserable  that  he  left  Basle 
for  that  reason.  He  visited  her  sometimes,  and  always 
gave  her  money,  but  lived  away  from  her.  In  1526  Hol- 
bein went  to  England,  and  his  friend  Erasmus  said  that  he 
went  because  he  had  so  little  to  do  in  Basle.  He  carried 
a  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  More,  who  received  him  with  great 
kindness,  and  the  artist  made  many  portraits  of  Sir  Thomas 
and  his  family.  There  is  a  story  about  one  of  these  portraits 
of  that  nobleman.  He  had  refused  to  be  present  at  the 
marriage  of  Anne  Boleyn  to  King  Henry  VIII.,  and  she 
never  forgave  him.  On  the  day  that  More  was  executed 
she  looked  at  one  of  Holbein's  portraits  of  the  ex-chancellor 
and  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  me  !  the  man  seems  to  be  still  alive  ;  " 
and  seizing  the  picture  she  threw  it  into  the  street. 

In  1530  Holbein  returned  to  Basle  to  complete  some  un- 
finished frescoes,  and  this  being  done  he  went  again  to 
London.  About  this  time  he  began  to  be  employed  by 
the  king,  and  did  many  pictures  for  him  from  time  to  time. 
In  1538  Henry  sent  Holbein  to  Brussels  to  make  a  portrait 


190 


PAINTINd. 


of  the  Duchess  of  Milan,  of  whom  the  king  was  thinking 
for  his  fourth  wife.  Xo  citizen  of  Basle  was  allowed  to 
enter  the  service  of  a  foreign  sovereign  without  the  consent 
of  the  council,  so  in  1538  the  artist  went  home  to  ask  per- 
mission to  serve  the  King  of  England.  Great  efforts  were 
made  to  keep  him  in  Basle,  but  at  last  he  received  permis- 
sion to  remain  two  years  in  England  :  the  artist  never  went 
again  to  Basle.  Henry  VIII.  became  fond  of  Holbein,  and 
was  generous  to  him,  even  giving  him  a  painting-room  in 
the  palace  of  Whitehall. 

In  1539  the  artist  was  sent  to  paint  a  portrait  of  Anne 
of  Cleves,  whom  the  king  married  the  next  year.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  picture  was  so  flattering  that  when  the 
king  saw  the  lady  he  was  disappointed  ;  we  know  that  he 
was  soon  divorced  from  her. 

In  1543  the  plague  raged  in  London,  and  on  the  7th  of 
October  Holbein  prepared  his  will.  He  died  before  the  29th 
of  November,  but  the  facts  concerning  his  death  and  burial 
are  not  known. 

There  are  several  interesting  anecdotes  of  Holbein.  One 
relates  that  when  passing  through  Strasburg  he  visited  the 
studio  of  an  artist,  and  finding  him  out,  painted  a  fly  on  a 
picture  which  was  on  an  easel.  When  the  painter  saw  the 
fly  he  tried  to  brush  it  away,  and  when  he  found  who  had 
painted  it  he  searched  the  city  for  Holbein  ;  but  he  had  al- 
ready left  for  England.  Another  story  shows  the  regard 
which  Henry  VIII.  had  for  him.  One  day  a  nobleman 
went  to  Holbein's  studio,  and  insisted  upon  entering, 
though  the  artist  told  him  that  he  was  painting  the  por- 
trait of  a  lady  by  his  Majesty's  orders.  The  nobleman 
persisting,  Holbein  threw  him  down  the  stairs  with  great 
violence,  and  then  rushed  to  the  king,  and  told  him  what 
he  had  done.  Soon  after  the  nobleman  was  borne  to  the 
presence  of  the  king  ;  he  was  unable  to  walk,  and  was  loud 
in  his  complaints.     The  king  ridiculed  him,  and  the  noble- 


Fig.  6o. — Burgomastek  Meikr  Madonna.     By  Holbein.     Drcsam 
Gallery. 


192  PAINTING. 

man  was  angry,  and  threatened  to  punish  the  artist  legally. 
Then  Henry  got  angry,  and  said:  "Now  you  have  no 
longer  to  deal  with  Holbein,  but  with  me,  your  king.  Do 
you  think  that  this  man  is  of  so  little  consideration  with 
us  ?  I  tell  you,  my  lord,  that  out  of  seven  peasants  I  can 
make  seven  earls  in  a  day  ;  but  out  of  seven  earls  I  could 
not  make  one  such  artist  as  Hans  Holbein." 

At  Basle  one  may  see  some  of  the  most  important  of 
the  early  portraits  of  Holbein  ;  these  are  in  the  gallery 
where  are  also  his  ten  well-known  scenes  from  the  Passion 
of  Christ.  While  at  Basle  he  probably  made  the  designs 
for  the  "  Dance  of  Death."  For  a  long  time  it  was  be- 
lieved that  he  painted  this  subject  both  at  Basle  and  at 
Bonn,  but  we  now  know  that  he  only  made  designs  for  it. 
He  also  decorated  the  Town  Hall  at  Basle  ;  of  this  work, 
however,  but  little  remains. 

The  most  celebrated  work  by  Holbein  is  the  "  Meyer 
Madonna"  in  the  royal  palace  of  Darmstadt,  of  which 
there  is  a  copy  in  the  Dresden  Gallery.  It  takes  its  name 
from  that  of  the  Burgomaster  Meyer,  for  whom  it  was 
painted.  The  Madonna,  with  the  infant  Jesus  in  her  arms, 
stands  in  a  niche  in  the  centre  of  the  picture  ;  the  burgo- 
master and  his  family  kneel  before  her.  This  is  what  is 
called  a  votive  picture,  which  means  a  picture  made  in  the 
fulfilment  of  a  vow,  in  gratitude  for  some  signal  blessing 
or  to  turn  away  some  danger.  Many  of  these  works 
commemorate  an  escape  from  accident  or  a  recovery  from 
sickness. 

The  picture  is  very  beautiful,  and  it  seems  as  if  the 
Virgin  wished  to  share  her  peace  with  the  kneeling  family, 
so  sweet  is  the  expression  of  her  face,  while  the  child  seems 
to  bestow  a  blessing  with  his  lifted  hand.  The  original 
was  probably  painted  for  a  "  Chapel  of  Our  Lady." 

His  "  Dance  of  Death  "  was  very  curious,  the  idea  be- 
ing that  Death  is  always  near  us  and  trying  to  strike  down 


HOLBEIN. 


193 


his  prey.  The  pictures  represent  a  skeleton  clutchin<^  at 
his  victims,  who  are  of  all  ages  and  occupations,  from  the 
lovely  young  bride  at  the  altar  to  the  hard-working  pedlar 
in  the  cut  we  give  here,  and  all  of  them  are  hurried  away 
by  this  frightful  figure  which  stands  for  Death  itself. 

Holbein  made  many  wood  engravings,  but  none  so  im- 
portant as  these.  When  the  set  is  complete  there  are  fifty- 
three  cuts,  but  it  is  rare  to 
find  more  than  forty-six. 

Holbein  was  one  of  the 
foremost  of  German  mas- 
ters. All  his  pictures  are 
realistic,  and  many  of 
them  are  fantastic;  he  gave 
graceful  movement  and 
beauty  of  form  to  many  of 
his  subjects  ;  his  drapery 
was  well  arranged ;  his 
color  and  manner  of  paint- 
ing were  good.  He  paint- 
ed in  fresco  and  oil  colors, 
executed  miniatures  and 
engravings.  His  portraits 
were  his  best  Avorks,  and 
in  them  he  equalled  the 
greatest  masters.  The  most  reliable  portrait  of  this  artist 
is  in  the  Basle  Museum.  It  is  done  in  red  and  black  chalk, 
and  represents  him  as  a  man  with  regular,  well-shaped 
features,  with  a  cheerful  expression  which  also  shows  deci- 
sion of  character. 

There  were  other  good  artists  in  the  Augsburg  school 
after  the  time  of  the  Holbeins ;  but  I  shall  pass  immediately 
to  the  Franconian  school,  or  that  of  Nuremburg,  and  to  its 
great  master,  ALBERT  DiJRER  (1471-1528),  whose  life  was 
very  interesting,  and  who  stands,  as  an  artist,  among  the 
13 


Fig.  61. 


-FkOM    HuLBKIN's    UANCt    OF 

Dkath. 


194  PAINTING. 

greatest  painters  of  the  world.  The  city  of  Nuremburg  was 
a  grand,  rich  old  place  even  in  Diirer's  time,  and  as  a  boy 
he  was  familiar  with  its  scenery  and  architecture,  which 
helped  him  to  cultivate  his  artist  tastes,  and  to  make  him 
the  great  man  that  he  became.  He  was  an  author  of  books 
as  well  as  an  architect,  sculptor,  painter,  and  engraver. 

His  father  was  a  goldsmith,  and  Albert  was  apprenticed 
to  the  same  trade  ;  but  he  was  so  anxious  to  study  painting 
that  at  length  his  father  placed  him  as  apprentice  to  the 
painter  Michael  Wohlgemuth.  At  this  time  Albert  was 
fifteen  years  old,  and  the  two  years  he  had  spent  with  the 
goldsmith  had  doubtless  been  of  great  advantage  to  him ; 
for  in  that  time  he  had  been  trained  in  the  modelling  of 
small,  delicate  objects,  and  in  the  accurate  design  neces- 
sary in  making  the  small  articles  in  precious  metals  which 
are  the  principal  work  of  that  trade. 

Albert  Diirer  had  a  very  strong  nature,  and  Michael 
Wohlgemuth  was  not  a  man  who  could  gain  much  influence 
over  such  a  youth.  During  the  three  years  which  Diirer 
passed  under  his  teaching  he  learned  all  the  modes  of  pre- 
paring and  using  colors,  and  acquired  much  skill  in  handling 
the  brush  ;  he  also  learned  the  first  lessons  in  wood-engrav- 
ing, in  which  he  afterward  reached  so  high  a  perfection  that 
a  large  part  of  his  present  fame  rests  upon  his  skill  in  that 
art. 

One  of  the  earliest  portraits  painted  by  Diirer  is  in  the 
Albertina  at  Vienna,  and  bears  this  inscription  :  "  This 
I  have  drawn  from  myself  from  the  looking-glass,  in  the 
year  1484,  when  I  was  still  a  child.  Albert  Durek." 
Six  years  later  he  painted  the  beautiful  portrait  of  his  father 
which  is  now  in  the  gallery  at  Florence  ;  and  it  is  a  ques- 
tion whether  this  is  not  as  finely  executed  as  any  portrait 
of  his  later  years. 

When  Diirer  left  Wohlgemuth  he  started  upon  the  stu- 
dent journey  which   was  then   the  custom  with   all  German 


DIRER.  195 

youths,  and  is  still  practised  in  a  modified  degree.  These 
youths,  after  serving  their  apprenticeship  in  the  occupation 
they  were  to  follow,  travelled,  and  worked  at  their  trade  or 
profession  in  the  cities  of  other  countries.  Diirer  was  ab- 
sent four  years,  but  we  know  little  of  what  he  did  or  saw, 
for  in  his  own  account  of  his  life  he  says  only^  this  :  ''  And 
when  the  three  years  were  out  my  father  sent  me  away. 
I  remained  abroad  four  years,  when  he  recalled  me  ;  and, 
as  I  had  left  just  after  Easter  in  1490,  I  returned  home  in 
1494,  just  after  Whitsuntide." 

In  the  same  year,  in  Jul}',  Diirer  was  married  to  Agnes 
Frey.  He  was  also  admitted  to  the  guild  of  painters,  and 
we  may  say  that  he  was  now  settled  for  life.  It  is  a  singu- 
lar fact  that,  although  Diirer  painted  several  portraits  of  his 
father  and  himself,  he  is  not  known  to  have  made  any  of 
his  wife.  Some  of  his  sketches  are  called  by  her  name,  but 
tht;re  is  no  good  reason  for  this. 

Diirer  was  so  industrious,  and  executed  so  many  pictures, 
copper-plates,  and  wood  engravings  within  the  six  years  next 
after  his  return  to  Nuremburg,  that  it  is  not  possible  to 
give  an  exact  account  of  them  here.  In  1500  an  event 
occurred  which  added  much  to  his  happiness  and  to  his  op- 
portunities for  enlarging  his  influence.  It  was  the  return 
to  Nuremburg  of  Willibald  Pirkheimer,  one  of  the  friends 
of  Diirer's  childhood,  between  whom  and  himself  there  had 
always  existed  a  strong  affection.  Pirkheimer  was  rich  and 
influential,  and  at  his  house  Diirer  saw  many  eminent  men, 
artists,  scholars,  reformers,  and  theologians,  and  in  their  so- 
ciety he  gained  much  broader  knowledge  of  the  world,  while 
he  received  the  respect  which  was  due  to  his  genius  and 
character. 

Diirer's  health  was  not  good,  and  his  continual  work 
proved  more  than  he  could  bear.  His  father  died  in  1 502, 
and  this  loss  was  a  deep  grief  to  the  artist.  So  little  money 
was  left  for  his  mother  and  younger  brother  that  their  sup- 


.1  ioi«i.:  Ilk 

Fig.  62.— a  Scene  from  Direr's  Wood  Engravings  of  the 
Life  ok  the  Virgin  Mary. 


DIRER.  197 

port  came  upon  him.  At  length,  in  1505,  he  made  a  jour- 
ney to  Venice,  partly  for  his  health,  and  in  order  to  study 
Venetian  painting.  He  was  well  received  by  the  painters 
of  Venice.  Giovanni  Bellini  and  Carpaccio  were  the  lead- 
ing painters  of  that  time.  They  were  both  quite  old,  but 
Giorgione  and  Titian  were  already  coming  into  notice  and 
preparing  to  fill  the  places  of  the  older  men.  Bellini  was 
especially  delighted  with  the  exquisite  manner  in  which 
Diirer  painted  hair,  and  asked  the  German  to  give  him  the 
brush  he  used  for  that  purpose.  Diirer  gave  him  all  his 
brushes,  but  Bellini  insisted  upon  having  tJic  one  for  paint- 
ing hair.  Diirer  took  a  common  brush,  and  painted  a  long 
tress  of  fine  hair  :  Bellini  declared  that  had  he  not  seen  this 
done  he  could  not  have  believed  it. 

While  in  Venice  Diirer  received  an  order  to  paint  a  pic- 
ture for  the  Fondaco  de'  Tedeschi,  or  German  Exchange. 
It  is  believed  that  this  work  was  the  famous  "  Feast  of  Rose 
Garlands,"  now  in  the  Monastery  at  Strahow,  in  Bohemia. 
The  Emperor  Rudolph  II.  bought  it,  and  had  it  carried  from 
Venice  to  Prague  on  men's  shoulders.  In  1782  it  was  pur- 
chased for  the  Abbey  of  Strahow,  and  was  almost  lost  to 
the  world  for  many  years.  It  is  a  beautiful  picture,  and  the 
praise  it  received  was  a  great  pleasure  to  Diirer,  because 
heretofore  many  painters  had  said  that  he  was  a  good  en- 
graver, but  could  not  use  colors.  Diirer  wrote  to  Pirkhei- 
mer  :  "There  is  no  better  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary  in 
the  land,  because  all  the  artists  praise  it,  as  well  as  the  no- 
bility. They  say  they  have  never  seen  a  more  sublime,  a 
more  charming  painting." 

The  Venetian  Government  offered  Diirer  a  handsome 
pension  if  he  would  remain  in  Venice,  and  he  declined  many 
orders  for  the  sake  of  returning  to  Germany,  which  he  be- 
lieved to  be  his  duty.  From  the  time  of  his  return,  in  1 507, 
to  1520,  there  is  very  little  to  tell  of  the  personal  histor}'  of 
this  artist.     Almost  all  that  can  be  said  is  that  he  labored 


198  PAINTING. 

with  great  industry  ;  it  was  the  golden  period  of  his  art ; 
he  had  many  young  men  in  his  studio,  which  was  the  cen- 
tre of  art  to  Nuremburg.  At  this  time  he  probably  exe- 
cuted the  best  carvings  which  he  ever  did.  During  seven 
years  he  made  forty-eight  engravings  and  etchings  and 
more  than  a  hundred  wood-cuts.  The  large  demand  for 
these  works  Avas  a  source  of  good  income  to  Diirer,  and 
gave  him  a  position  of  comfort.  The  Reformation  was  at 
hand,  and  Diirer's  Virgins  and  Saints  and  his  pictures  of 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  were  very  well  suited  to  the  reli- 
gious excitement  of  that  period. 

The  house  in  which  Diirer  lived  and  worked  for  many 
years  is  still  preserved  in  Nuremburg  as  public  property, 
and  is  used  as  an  art  gallery.  The  street  on  which  it  stands 
is  now  called  the  Albrecht-Diirer  Strasse.  On  the  square 
before  the  house  stands  a  bronze  statue  of  the  master  which 
was  erected  by  the  Nuremburgers  on  the  three  hundredth 
anniversary  of  his  death. 

About  1509  Diirer  occupied  himself  considerably  in 
writing  poetry  ;  but,  although  there  was  much  earnest  feel- 
ing in  his  verse,  it  was  not  such  as  to  give  him  great  fame  as 
a  poet.  It  was  at  the  same  period  that  he  carved  the  won- 
derful bas-relief  of  the  "  Birth  of  John  the  Baptist,"  now 
in  the  British  Museum.  It  is  cut  out  of  stone,  is  seven 
and  one-half  by  five  and  one-half  inches  in  size,  and  is  a 
marvellous  piece  of  work.  Two  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars were  paid  for  it  nearly  a  century  ago.  He  made  many 
exquisite  little  carvings  in  stone,  ivory,  and  boxwood,  and 
in  these  articles  the  result  of  his  work  as  a  goldsmith  is  best 
seen. 

In  1 5 12  Diirer  was  first  employed  by  the  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian, and  for  the  next  seven  years  there  was  a  close  rela- 
tion between  the  sovereign  and  the  artist ;  but  tiierc  are  few 
record''  concerning  it.  It  is  said  that  one  day  when  the 
painter  was  making  a  sketch  of  the  emperor  the  latter  took 


DiJRER.  199 

a  charcoal  crayon,  and  tried  to  draw  a  picture  himself:  he 
constantly  broke  the  crayon,  and  made  no  progress  toward 
his  end.  After  watching  him  for  a  time  Diirer  took  the 
charcoal  from  Maximilian,  saying,  "This  is  my  sceptre, 
your  Majesty ;  "  and  he  then  taught  the  emperor  how  to 
use  it. 

Diirer  executed  some  very  remarkable  drawings  and  en- 
gravings. Among  them  was  the  "Triumphal  Arch  of 
Maximilian,"  composed  of  ninety-two  blocks.  The  whole 
cut  is  ten  and  one-half  feet  high  by  nine  feet  wide.  It 
shows  all  the  remarkable  events  in  the  emperor's  life,  just 
as  such  subjects  were  carved  upon  the  triumphal  arches  of 
the  Romans  and  other  nations.  Hieronymus  Rosch  did  the 
engraving  of  this  great  work  from  Diirer's  blocks,  and 
while  it  was  in  progress  the  emperor  went  often  to  see  it. 
During  one  of  these  visits  several  cats  ran  into  the  room, 
from  which  happening  arose  the  proverb,  "  A  cat  may  look 
at  a  king." 

The  emperor  granted  Diirer  a  pension  ;  but  it  was  never 
regularly  paid,  and  after  the  emperor's  death  the  Council 
of  Nuremburg  refused  to  pay  it  unless  it  was  confirmed  by 
the  new  sovereign,  Charles  V.  For  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing this  confirmation  Diirer  made  a  journey  to  the  Nether- 
lands in  the  year  1520.  His  wife  and  her  maid  Susanna 
went  with  him.  His  diary  gives  a  quaint  account  of  the 
places  they  visited,  the  people  whom  they  met,  and  of  the 
honors  which  were  paid  him.  In  Antwerp  he  was  received 
with  great  kindness,  and  the  government  of  the  city  offered 
him  a  house  and  a  liberal  pension  if  he  would  remain  there  ; 
but  his  love  for  his  native  town  would  not  allow  him  to 
leave  it. 

After  several  months  Diirer  received  the  confirmation 
of  his  pension  and  also  the  appointment  of  court-painter. 
This  last  office  was  of  very  little  account  to  him.  The  em- 
peror   spent   little    time    at   Nuremburg,    and    it    was    not 


KiG.  63— The  Four  Apostles.    By  Diircr. 


DIRER.  20I 

until  he  was  older  that  he  was  seized  with  the  passion  of 
having  his  portrait  painted,  and  then  Diirer  had  died,  and 
Titian  was  painter  to  the  court. 

When  Diirer  returned  to  his  home  there  was  quite  an 
excitement  over  the  collection  of  curious  and  rare  objects 
which  he  had  made  while  absent.  Some  of  these  he  had 
bought,  and  many  others  were  gifts  to  him,  and  he  gave  much 
pleasure  to  his  friends  by  displaying  them.  There  had 
been  a  great  change  in  Nuremburg,  for  the  doctrines  of  the 
Reformation  were  accepted  by  many  of  its  people,  and  it 
was  the  first  free  city  that  declared  itself  Protestant.  The 
change,  too,  was  quietly  made  ;  its  convents  and  churches 
were  saved  from  violence,  and  the  art  treasures  of  the  city 
were  not  destroyed.  Among  the  most  important  Luther- 
ans was  Pirkheimer,  Diirer's  friend.  We  do  not  know  that 
Durer  became  a  Lutheran,  but  he  wrote  of  his  admiration 
for  the  great  reformer  in  his  diary,  and  it  is  a  meaning  fact 
that  during  the  last  six  years  of  his  life  Diirer  made  no 
more  pictures  of  the  Madonna. 

These  last  years  were  not  as  full  of  work  as  the  earlier 
ones  had  been.  A  few  portraits  and  engravings  and  the 
pictures  of  the  Four  Apostles  were  about  all  the  works  of 
this  time.  He  gave  much  attention  to  the  arrangement 
and  publication  of  his  writings  upon  various  subjects  con- 
nected with  the  arts.  These  books  gave  him  much  fame  as 
a  scholar,  and  some  of  them  were  translated  into  several 
languages. 

As  an  architect  Diirer  executed  but  little  work  ;  but  his 
writings  upon  architectural  subjects  prove  that  he  was 
learned  in  its  theories. 

During  several  years  his  health  was  feeble,  and  he  ex- 
erted himself  to  make  provision  for  his  old  age  if  he  should 
live,  or  for  his  wife  after  his  death.  He  was  saddened  by 
the  thought  that  he  had  never  been  rewarded  as  he  should 
have  been  for  his  hard,  faithful  labors,   and  his  latest  let- 


202  PAINTING. 

ters  were  sad  and  touching.  He  died  in  April,  1528,  after 
a  brief  illness,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  St.  John, 
beyond  the  walls,  where  a  simple  epitaph  was  inscribed 
upon  his  monument.  This  cemetery  is  an  interesting  place, 
and  contains  the  graves  of  many  men  noted  in  the  chroni- 
cles of  Nuremburg. 

On  Easter  Sunday  in  1828,  three  hundred  years  after  his 
death,  a  Diirer  celebration  was  held  in  Nuremburg.  Ar- 
tists came  from  all  parts  of  Germany.  A  solemn  procession 
proceeded  to  his  grave,  where  hymns  were  sung,  and  the 
statue  by  Rauch,  near  Diirer's  house,  was  dedicated. 

I  can  give  you  no  description  of  Diirer's  many  works, 
and  although  it  is  true  that  he  was  a  very  great  master,  yet 
it  is  also  true  that  his  pictures  and  engravings  are  not  noted 
for  their  beauty  so  much  as  for  their  strength  and  power. 
His  subjects  were  often  ugly  and  repulsive  rather  than  beau- 
tiful, and  his  imagination  was  full  of  weird,  strange  fancies 
that  can  scarcely  be  understood.  Indeed,  some  of  them 
never  have  been  explained,  and  one  of  his  most  famous  en- 
gravings, called  "The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil,"  has 
never  yet  been  satisfactorily  interpreted,  and  many  different 
theories  have  been  made  about  it. 

Many  of  the  principal  galleries  of  Europe  have  Diirer's 
paintings,  though  they  are  not  as  numerous  as  his  engrav- 
ings, and,  indeed,  his  fame  rests  more  upon  the  latter  than 
the  former,  and  very  large  sums  are  paid  by  collectors  for 
good  impressions  of  his  more  important  plates. 

Diirer  had  several  followers.  His  most  gifted  scholar 
was  Lucas  Sunder  (1472-1553),  who  is  called  Lucas  Cra- 
nach,  from  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  established  a  school 
of  painting  in  Saxony,  and  was  appointed  court-painter. 
Although  there  were  a  goodly  number  of  German  painters 
late  in  the  sixteenth  century,  there  were  none  of  great  emi- 
nence, and,  in  truth,  there  have  been  few  since  that  time 
whose  lives  were  of  sufficient  interest  to  be  recounted  here, 


ANGELICA    KAUFFMAN.  2O3 

SO  I  shall  tell  you  of  but  one  more  before  passing  to  the 
artists  of  Spain. 

Angelica  Kauffman  (1742-1808)  was  a  very  inter- 
esting" woman  who  gained  a  good  reputation  as  an  artist  ; 
but  there  is  such  a  difference  of  opinion  among  judges 
as  to  her  merits  as  a  painter  that  it  is  difhcult  to  decide 
what  to  say  of  her.  As  a  person,  she  excited  an  inter- 
est in  her  lifetime  which  has  never  died  out,  and  Miss 
Thackeray's  novel,  "  Miss  Angel,''  tells  what  is  claimed  to 
be  her  story,  as  nearly  as  such  stories  are  told  in  novels. 

She  was  born  at  Coire,  in  the  Grisons.  Her  father  was 
an  artist,  a  native  of  Schwarzenburg,  and  when  Angel- 
ica was  born  he  was  occupied  in  executing  some  frescoes 
at  Coire.  When  the  child  was  a  year  old  he  settled  at 
Morbegno,  in  Lombardy,  and  ten  years  later,  when  she  had 
shown  a  taste  for  music,  her  parents  again  removed  to  Como, 
where  there  were  better  opportunities  for  her  instruction. 
Her  progress  in  music  was  remarkable,  and  for  a  time  she 
was  unable  to  say  whether  she  loved  this  art  or  that  of 
painting  the  better.  Later  in  life  she  painted  a  picture  in 
which  she  represented  herself,  as  a  child,  standing  between 
allegorical  figures  of  Music  and  Painting. 

The  beautiful  scenery  about  Como,  the  stately  palaces 
and  charming  villas,  the  lake  with  its  pleasure  boats,  and 
all  the  poetry  of  the  life  there,  tended  to  develop  her  tal- 
ents rapidly,  and,  though  she  remained  but  two  years,  the 
recollection  of  this  time  was  a  pleasure  to  her  through  all 
her  life.  She  was  next  taken  to  Milan,  where  a  world  of 
art  was  opened  to  her,  and  she  saw  pictures  which  excelled 
all  her  imaginations.  The  works  of  Leonardo  and  other 
great  Lombard  masters  stirred  her  soul  to  its  very  depths. 
She  soon  attracted  attention  by  her  pictures,  and  Robert 
d'Este  became  her  patron,  and  placed  her  under  the  care 
of  the  Duchess  of  Carrara.  She  was  now  daily  associated 
with   people  of  culture  and  elegance,  and  thus  early  in  her 


204  PAINTING. 

life  acquired  the  modest  dignity  and  self-possession  which  en- 
abled her  in  her  future  life  to  accept  becomingl}*  the  honors 
and  attentions  which  were  paid  her. 

Her  mother's  death  occurred  at  Milan,  and  her  father  re- 
turned to  Schwarzenburg.  The  people  about  her  were  so 
coarse  and  disagreeable  to  Angelica  that  she  passed  much 
of  her  time  in  the  grand  forests.  At  this  time  she  painted 
frescoes  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  copied  from  the  engravings 
after  Piazetta.  Her  father  was  not  content  to  remain  away 
from  Italy,  and  they  went  again  to  Milan,  then  to  Florence, 
and  at  last  to  Rome.  She  was  now  eighteen  years  old,  and 
found  much  profit  in  the  friendship  of  the  great  scholar 
Wilickelmann,  who  allowed  her  to  paint  his  portrait.  An- 
gelica visited  Naples  and  Bologna  also,  and  finally  Venice, 
where  she  met  Lady  Wentworth,  who  became  her  friend, 
and  afterward  took  her  to  England. 

She  had  a  most  brilliant  career  in  London,  where  her 
friends  were  in  the  highest  rank  of  society.  De  Rossi  de- 
scribed her  appearance  at  this  time,  and  said  that  she  was 
not  very  tall,  but  had  a  slight,  elegant  figure.  Her  com- 
plexion was  dark  and  clear,  her  mouth  well  formed,  her 
teeth  white  and  even,  and  all  her  features  good.  He  speaks 
of  her  azure  eyes,  so  placid  and  bright  that  their  expression 
had  a  charm  which  could  not  be  described.  No  one  felt  like 
criticising  her.  Other  artists  paid  her  many  honors,  and  she 
was  made  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Arts.  It  has  been 
said  that  Fuseli,  the  learned  art  critic,  and  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds, the  great  artist,  both  asked  her  hand  in  marriage. 
Some  members  of  the  royal  family  became  her  friends,  and 
she  was  at  the  height  of  honorable  success  and  of  happiness. 

It  is  painful  to  turn  from  this  bright  picture  of  her  life 
to  all  the  sorrow  and  darkness  which  followed  it.  She 
made  an  unhappy  marriage,  her  husband  proving  to  be  an 
adventurer  who  had  assumed  a  distinguished  name.  For  a 
time  she  was  crushed   by  this  sorrow  ;   but  her  friends  re- 


ANGELICA   KAUFFMAN.  205 

mained  true  to  her,  and  she  found  relief  in  absolute  devotion 
to  her  art.  For  twelve  years  she  supported  herself  and  her 
father  ;  then  his  health  failed,  and  it  was  thought  best  for 
him  to  go  to  Italy.  Angelica  was  now  forty  years  old,  and 
before  leaving  England  she  married  Antonio  Zucchi,  an  ar- 
tist who  had  long  been  her  friend.  He  devoted  himself  to 
her  and  to  her  father  with  untiring  affection,  and  when  the 
old  man  died  he  was  happy  in  the  thought  that  his  beloved 
daughter  had  so  true  a  friend  as  Zucchi. 

From  this  time  their  home  was  in  Rome,  where  Angelica 
was  the  centre  of  an  artistic  and  literary  society  of  a  high 
order.  Among  her  visitors  were  such  men  as  Herder  and 
Goethe.  The  latter  wrote  of  her  :  "  The  light  and  plearing 
in  form  and  color,  in  design  and  execution,  distinguish  the 
numerous  w'orks  of  our  artist.  No  living  painter  excels 
her  in  dignity  or  in  the  delicate  taste  with  which  she  han- 
dles the  pencil."  She  was  very  industrious,  and  her  life 
seems  to  have  been  divided  between  two  pleasures,  her 
work  and  the  society  of  her  friends,  until  the  death  of  her 
husband,  which  occurred  in  1795.  She  lived  twelve  years 
longer,  but  they  were  years  of  great  sadness.  She  made 
journeys  in  order  to  regain  her  spirits.  She  visited  the 
scenes  of  her  childhood,  and  remained  some  time  in  Venice 
with  the  family  of  Signor  Zucchi. 

Even  after  her  last  return  to  Rome  she  worked  as  much 
as  her  strength  would  permit,  but  her  life  was  not  long. 
She  was  mourned  sincerely  in  Rome  ;  her  funeral  was  at- 
tended by  the  members  of  the  Academy  of  St.  Luke  ;  and 
her  latest  works  were  borne  in  the  procession.  She  was 
buried  beside  her  husband  in  the  Church  of  St.  Andrea  dei 
Frati.     Her  bust  was  placed  in  the  Pantheon. 

Various  critics  have  praised  her  works  in  the  most  lib- 
eral manner  ;  others  can  say  nothing  good  of  them.  For 
myself,  I  cannot  find  the  extreme  of  praise  or  blame  a  just 
estimate  of  her.     No  one  can  deny  the  grace  of  her  design, 


206  PAIXTIXG. 

which  was  also  creditably  correct.  Her  portraits  wei  e  good  ; 
her  poetical  subjects  are  very  pleasing  ;  her  historical  pic- 
tures are  not  strong  ;  her  color  was  as  harmonious  and 
mellow  as  that  of  the  best  Italians,  excepting  a  few  of  the 
greatest  masters,  and  in  all  her  pictures  there  is  something 
which  wins  for  her  a  certain  fondness  and  praise,  even  while 
her  faults  arc  plainly  seen.  Her  pictures  arc  to  be  found 
in  galleries  in  Rome,  Florence,  Vienna,  Munich,  and  Eng- 
lan.d  ;  many  are  also  in  private  collections.  She  painted 
several  portraits  of  herself;  one  in  the  Uftizi,  at  Florence, 
is  very  pleasing.  She  represents  herself  seated  in  a  soli- 
tary landscape,  with  a  portfolio  in  one  hand  and  a  pencil 
in  the  other.  She  has  an  air  of  perfect  unconsciousness,  as 
if  she  thought  of  her  work  only.  Her  etchings  are  much  val- 
ued, and  sell  for  large  prices.  Many  of  her  pictures  were 
engraved  by  Bartolozzi,  and  good  prints  of  them  are  rare. 
On  one  of  her  pictures  she  wrote  :  "  I  will  not  attempt  to 
express  supernatural  things  by  human  inspiration,  but  wait 
for  that  till  I  reach  heaven,  if  there  is  painting  done  there." 


CHAPTER  V. 


PAINTING   IN   SPAIN. 


SPANISH  painting  had  its  birth  during  the  reign  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  may  be  said  to  ha\c  been 
derived  from  Italy,  through  the  influence  of  the  Italian 
painters  who  went  to  Spain,  and  the  Spanish  artists  who 
made  their  studies  in  Italy.  But  in  spite  of  this  strong 
Italian  influence  Spanish  painting  has  its  own  characteristics 
which  separate  it  from  all  other  schools,  and  give  it  a  high 
position  on  its  own  merits.  ANTONIO  DEL  RiNCON  (1446- 
1500)  was  the  first  Spanish  painter  of  whom  we  know.  If 
any  works  of  his  remain  they  are  portraits  of  his  august 
sovereigns  now  in  the  Cathedral  of  Granada  ;  but  it  is  proba- 
ble that  these  pictures  are  copies  of  the  originals  by  Rincon. 
Dating  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish  school  from  the 
last  half  of  the  fifteenth  century,  it  is  the  third  school  in 
Europe  as  to  age,  it  being  about  two  centuries  later  than 
the  Italian,  and  one  century  later  than  the  Flemish  school. 
Its  importance  is  only  exceeded  by  that  of  Italy.  The 
distinguishing  feature  of  Spanish  art  is  its  gravity,  or  we 
may  almost  say  its  strictly  religious  character,  for,  except- 
ing portraits,  there  were  few  pictures  of  consequence  that 
had  not  a  religious  meaning.  Some  artists  were  also  priests, 
and,  as  the  officers  of  the  Inquisition  appointed  inspectors 
whose  duty  it  was  to  report  for  punishment  any  artist  who 
did  not  follow  the  rules  of  the  Inquisition,  it  is  easy  to  un- 
derstand that  the  painters  were  careful  to  keep  within  the 


208  PAINTING. 

rules  fixed  for  them.  Whatever  flights  of  imagination  one 
might  have  in  secret,  he  would  scarcely  run  the  risk  of  being 
excommunicated  from  the  church,  sent  into  exile  for  a  year, 
and  fined  one  thousand  five  hundred  ducats  for  the  pleasure 
of  putting  his  fancies  on  canvas. 

Pacheco,  who  was  an  inspector  at  Seville,  published 
minute  rules  for  the  representation  of  sacred  subjects  and 
persons,  and  other  writers  did  the  same.  There  was  a  long 
and  grave  discussion  over  the  propriety  of  painting  the 
devil  with  horns  and  a  tail.  It  was  decided  that  he  should 
have  horns  because,  according  to  the  legend  of  St.  Theresa, 
he  had  horns  when  he  appeared  to  that  saint ;  and  he  was 
allowed  to  have  a  tail  because  it  was  thought  to  be  a  suita- 
ble appendage  to  a  fallen  angel  who  had  lost  his  wings. 
One  very  strict  rule  was  that  the  feet  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
should  be  covered,  and  nude  figures  or  portions  of  the  fig- 
ure were  strictly  forbidden. 

Another  important  influence  upon  the  Spanish  artists 
was  their  belief  that  the  Virgin  Mary  and  other  holy  spirits 
appeared  to  inspire  them  and  aid  them  in  painting  their 
pictures.  In  fact,  the  church  was  the  chief  patron  of  art, 
and  the  artist  was  one  of  her  most  valuable  teachers.  A 
learned  Spanish  writer  said  :  "  For  the  ignorant,  what  mas- 
ter is  like  painting  ?  They  may  read  their  duty  in  a  pic- 
ture though  they  may  not  search  for  it  in  books." 

The  painters  of  Spain  were  divided  between  the  schools 
of  Castile,  Seville,  and  Valencia.  That  of  Castile  was 
founded  at  Toledo  early  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  was 
maintained  about  two  hundred  years.  Claudio  Coello  was 
of  this  school;  he  died  in  1693,  and  has  well  been  called 
"the  last  of  the  old  masters  of  Spain." 

Alonzo  Berreguette  (1480-1561),  born  at  Parades  de 
Nava,  in  Castile,  was  the  most  eminent  Spanish  artist  of  his 
time.  He  is  called  the  Michael  Angelo  of  Spain,  because 
he  was  painter,  sculptor,  and  architect.     Me  was  painter  to 


EARLY    SPANISH    PAINTERS.  209 

Philip  I.  Later  he  went  to  Italy,  and  journeyed  from  Flor- 
ence to  Rome  with  Michael  Angclo  in  1505.  He  studied 
in  Italy  many  years.  He  was  appointed  painter  and  sculp- 
tor to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  Berre<juette  received  four 
thousand  four  hundred  ducats  for  the  altar  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Benito  el  Real  in  Valladolid,  where  he  settled.  When 
he  was  almost  eighty  years  old  he  went  to  Toledo  to  erect 
a  monument  in  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  Baptist.  He  was 
lodged  in  the  hospital,  and  died  there.  He  left  a  large  for- 
tune, and  was  buried  with  splendid  ceremonies  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  emperor. 

Luis  de  Morales  (15 10-1586)  was  called  "the  di- 
vine." He  belonged  to  the  school  of  Castile,  and  very  lit- 
tle is  known  of  his  early  life.  When  he  was  fifty-five  years 
old  Philip  II.  invited  him  to  court.  When  Morales  appeared 
he  was  so  splendidly  dressed  that  the  king  was  angry,  and 
gave  orders  that  he  should  be  paid  a  certain  sum  and  dis- 
missed. But  the  poor  painter  explained  that  he  had  spent 
all  that  he  had  in  order  to  come  before  the  king  in  a  dress 
befitting  Philip's  dignity.  Then  Philip  pardoned  him,  and 
allowed  him  to  paint  one  picture  ;  but  as  this  was  not  hung 
in  the  Escorial,  Morales  was  overcome  by  mortification,  and 
almost  forsook  his  painting,  and  fell  into  great  poverty.  In 
1 58 1  the  king  saw  Morales  at  Badajoz,  in  a  very  different 
dress  from  that  he  had  worn  at  court.  The  king  said  : 
"  Morales,  you  are  very  old."  "  Yes,  sire,  and  very  poor," 
replied  the  painter.  The  king  then  commanded  that  he 
should  have  two  hundred  ducats  a  year  from  the  crown 
rents  with  which  to  buy  his  dinners.  Morales  hearing  this, 
exclaimed,  "  And  for  supper,  sire?  "  This  pleased  Philip, 
and  he  added  one  hundred  ducats  to  the  pension.  The 
street  in  Badajoz  on  which  Morales  lived  bears  his  name. 

Nearly  all  his  pictures  were  of  religious  subjects,  and  on 
this  account  he  was  called  "the  divine."  He  avoided 
ghastly,  painful  pictures,  and  was  one  of  the  most  spiritual 
14 


2IO  rAINTIXG. 

of  the  artists  of  Spain,  Very  few  of  his  pictures  are  seen 
out  of  Spain,  and  they  are  rare  even  there.  His  master- 
piece is  "  Christ  Crowned  with  Thorns,"  in  the  Queen  of 
Spain's  Gallery  at  Madrid.  In  the  Louvre  is  his  "  Christ 
Bearing  the  Cross."  At  the  salb  of  the  Soult  collection 
his  "  Way  to  Calvary"  sold  for  nine  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds  sterling. 

Alonso  Sanchez  Coello  (about  151 5-1590)  was  the 
first  great  portrait  painter  of  Spain.  He  was  painter-in- 
ordinary  to  Philip  n.,  and  that  monarch  was  so  fond  of  him 
that  in  his  letters  he  called  him  "  my  beloved  son."  At 
Madrid  the  king  had  a  key  to  a  private  entrance  to  the 
apartments  of  Coello,  so  that  he  could  surprise  the  painter 
in  his  studio,  and  at  times  even  entered  the  family  rooms  of 
the  artist.  Coello  never  abused  the  confidence  of  Philip, 
and  was  a  favorite  of  the  court  as  well  as  of  the  monarch. 
Among  his  friends  were  the  Popes  Gregory  XHI.  and  Six- 
tus  v.,  the  Cardinal  Alexander  Farnese,  and  the  Dukes  of 
Florence  and  Savoy.  Many  noble  and  even  royal  persons 
were  accustomed  to  visit  him  and  accept  his  hospitalit}'. 
He  was  obliged  to  live  in  style  becoming  his  position,  and 
yet  when  he  died  he  left  a  fortune  of  fifty-five  thousand 
ducats.  He  had  hved  in  Lisbon,  and  Philip  sometimes 
called  him  his  "  Portuguese  Titian." 

Very  few  of  his  portraits  remain  ;  they  are  graceful  in 
pose  and  fine  in  color.  He  knew  how  to  represent  the  re- 
pose and  refinement  of "  gentle  blood  and  delicate  nur- 
ture." Many  of  liis  works  were  burned  in  the  Prado.  His 
"  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine"  is  in  the  Gallery  of  Madrid. 
A  "St.  Sebastian  "  painted  for  the  Church  of  St.  Jerome, 
at  Madrid,  is  considered  his  masterpiece.  Lope  de  Vega 
wrote  Coello's  cp.';.aph.  and  called  his  pictures 


Eternal  scenes  of  liistory  divine, 
Wherein  fcr  aye  his  memory  shall  shine." 


*'  EL   MUDO.  211 

JuAX  Fernandez  Navarrete  (i  526-1 579),  called  El 
Mudo,  because  deaf  and  dumb,  is  a  very  interesting  painter. 
He  was  not  born  a  mute,  but  became  deaf  at  three  years  of 
age,  and  could  not  learn  to  speak.  He  studied  some  years 
in  Italy,  and  was  in  the  school  of  Titian.  In  1568  he  was 
appointed  painter  to  Philip  II.  His  principal  works  were 
eight  pictures  for  the  Escorial,  three  of  which  were  burned. 
His  picture  of  the  "  Nativity  "  is  celebrated  for  its  lights,  of 
which  there  are  three  ;  one  is  from  the  Divine  Babe,  a  sec- 
ond from  the  glory  above,  and  a  third  from  a  torch  in  the 
hand  of  St.  Joseph.  The  group  of  shepherds  is  the  best 
part  of  the  picture,  and  when  Tibaldi  saw  the  picture  he 
exclaimed,  "  O!  gli  belli  pastori  !  "  and  it  has  since  been 
known  as  the  "  Beautiful  Shepherds." 

His  picture  of  "  Abraham  and  the  Three  Angels  "  was 
placed  near  the  door  where  the  monks  of  the  Escorial  re- 
ceived strangers.  The  pictures  of  Navarrete  are  rare.  After 
his  death  Lope  de  Vega  wrote  a  lament  for  him,  in  which 
he  said, 

"  No  countenance  he  painted  that  was  dumb." 

When  the  "  Last  Supper "  painted  by  Titian  reached 
the  Escorial,  it  was  found  to  be  too  large  for  the  space  it 
was  to  occupy  in  the  refectory.  The  king  ordered  it  to  be 
cut,  which  so  distressed  El  Mudo  that  he  offered  to  copy  it 
in  six  months,  in  reduced  size,  and  to  forfeit  his  head  if  he 
did  not  fulfil  his  promise.  He  also  added  that  he  should 
hope  to  be  knighted  if  he  copied  in  six  months  what  Titian 
had  taken  seven  years  to  paint.  But  Philip  was  resolute, 
and  the  picture  was  cut,  to  the  intense  grief  of  the  dumb 
Navarrete.  While  the  painter  lived  Philip  did  not  fully 
appreciate  him  ;  but  after  his  death  the  king  often  declared 
that  his  Italian  artists  could  not  equal  his  mute  Spaniard. 

Juan  Carreno  de  Miranda  (1614- 1685)  is  commonly 


212  PAINTING. 

called  Carreno.  He  was  of  an  ancient  noble  family.  His 
earliest  works  were  for  the  churches  and  convents  of  Mad- 
rid, and  he  acquired  so  good  a  name  that  before  the  death 
of  Philip  IV.  he  was  appointed  one  of  his  court-painters. 
In  167 1  the  young  king  Charles  gave  Carreno  the  cross  of 
Santiago,  and  to  his  office  of  court-painter  added  that  of 
Deputy  Aposcntador,  He  would  allow  no  other  artist  to 
paint  his  likeness  unless  Carrerto  consented  to  it.  The  pic- 
tures of  Carreflo  were  most  excellent,  and  his  character  was 
such  as  to  merit  all  his  good  fortune.  His  death  was  sin- 
cerely mourned  by  all  who  knew  him. 

It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  he  was  in  a  house  where 
a  copy  of  Titian's  "  St.  IMargaret  "  hung  upon  the  wall,  and 
those  present  united  in  saying  that  it  was  abominably  done. 
Carrefio  said  :  "  It  has  at  least  one  merit ;  it  shows  that  no 
one  need  despair  of  improving  in  art,  for  I  painted  it  my- 
self when  I  was  a  beginner." 

Gregorio  Utande,  a  poor  artist,  had  painted  a  "  ^Martyr- 
dom  of  St.  Andrew  "  for  the  nuns  of  Alcala,  and  demanded 
one  hundred  ducats  for  it.  The  nuns  thought  the  price  too 
much,  and  wished  to  have  Carreno  value  the  work.  Utande 
took  the  picture  to  Carreno,  and  first  presenting  the  great 
master  with  a  jar  of  honey,  asked  him  to  touch  up  his 
St.  Andrew  for  him.  Carreno  consented,  and,  in  fact, 
almost  repainted  Utande's  picture.  A  short  time  after 
Carrefio  was  asked  to  value  the  St.  Andrew,  but  declined. 
Then  Herrera  valued  it  at  two  hundred  ducats,  which  price 
the  nuns  paid.  After  Utande  received  his  money  he  told 
the  whole  story,  and  the  picture  was  then  known  as  "La 
Cantarilla  de  Miel,"  or  "  the  pot  of  honey." 

Claudio  Coello  (1635-1693),  who,  as  we  have  said, 
has  been  called  the  last  of  the  old  Spanish  masters,  was  in- 
tended by  his  father  for  his  own  profession,  that  of  bronze- 
casting.  But  Claudio  persuaded  his  father  to  allow  him  to 
study   painting,  and  before  the  close  of  his  life  he  became 


THE   SCHOOL    OF   SEVILLE.  213 

the  most  famous  painter  in  Madrid.  He  was  not  only  the 
court-painter,  but  also  the  painter  to  the  Cathedral  of 
Toledo  and  keeper  of  the  royal  galleries.  It  was  not 
strange  that  he  should  feel  that  he  merited  the  honor  of 
painting  the  walls  of  the  Escorial,  and  when  this  was  re- 
fused him  and  Luca  Giordano  was  selected  for  the  work, 
Coello  threw  aside  his  brushes  and  paints,  grew  sad,  then 
ill,  and  died  a  year  later.  His  masterpiece  is  now  in  the 
Escorial;  it  represents  the  "Collocation  of  the  Host." 
His  own  portrait  painted  by  himself  is  in  the  gallery  of  the 
Hermitage  at  St.  Petersburg. 

The  school  of  Seville  was  the  most  important  school  of 
Spain.  It  is  also  known  as  the  school  of  Andalusia.  It 
dates  from  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  its  latest 
master,  Alonso  Miguel  de  Tobar,  died  in  1758. 

Luis  de  Vargas  (i 502-1 568),  one  of  the  earliest  of 
the  painters  of  the  school  of  Seville,  was  a  devout  and 
holy  man.  He  was  accustomed  to  do  penance,  and  in 
his  room  after  his  death  scourges  were  found  with  which 
he  had  beaten  himself,  and  a  coffin  in  which  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  lie  and  meditate  upon  death  and  a  future  life. 
It  is  said  that  Vargas  studied  twenty-eight  years  in  Italy. 
His  pictures  were  fine.  His  female  heads  were  graceful 
and  pure,  his  color  good,  and  the  whole  effect  that  of  grand 
simplicity.  His  picture  of  the  "  Temporal  Generation  of 
Our  Lord  "  is  his  best  work  in  Seville.  Adam  is  kneeling 
in  the  foreground,  and  his  leg  is  so  well  painted  that  the  pic- 
ture has  been  called  "  La  Gamba. "  In  spite  of  his  serious- 
ness Vargas  was  a  witty  man.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
asked  to  give  his  opinion  of  a  very  poor  picture  of  "  Christ 
on  the  Cross."  Vargas  replied  :  "  He  looks  as  if  he  were 
saying,  '  Forgive  them.  Lord,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do  1 '  " 

Pablo  de  Cespedes  (i 538-1608)  was  born  at  Cordova, 
and  is  an  important  person  in  the  history  of  his  time,  for  he 


214  PAINTING. 

was  a  divine,  a  poet,  and  a  scholar,  as  well  as  an  architect, 
sculptor,  and  painter.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Alcala,  and  excelled  in  Oriental  languages.  He  studied 
art  in  Rome,  and  while  there  made  a  head  of  Seneca  in 
marble,  and  fitted  it  to  an  antique  trunk  ;  on  account  of  this 
work  he  was  called  "  Victor  il  Spagnuolo."  Zuccaro  was 
asked  to  paint  a  picture  for  the  splendid  Cathedral  of  Cor- 
dova ;  he  declined,  and  said  that  while  Cespedes  was  in 
Spain  they  had  no  need  of  Italian  artists.  The  pictures  of 
Cespedes  which  now  remain  are  so  faded  and  injured  that  a 
good  judgment  can  scarcely  be  formed  of  them  ;  but  they 
do  not  seem  to  be  as  fine  as  they  were  thought  to  be  in  his 
day.  His  "  Last  Supper"  is  in  the  Cathedral  of  Cordova. 
In  the  foreground  there  are  some  jars  and  vases  so  well 
painted  that  visitors  praised  them.  Cespedes  was  so  mor- 
tified at  this  that  he  commanded  his  servant  to  rub  them 
out,  and  only  the  most  judicious  admiration  for  the  rest  of 
the  picture  and  earnest  entreaty  for  the  preservation  of  the 
jars  saved  them  from  destruction.  He  left  many  writings 
upon  artistic  subjects  and  an  essay  upon  the  antiquity  of 
the  Cathedral  of  Cordova.  He  was  as  modest  as  he  was 
learned,  and  was  much  beloved.  He  was  made  a  canon  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Cordova,  and  was  received  with  "  full  ap- 
probation of  the  Cordovese  bishop  and  chapter." 

Francisco  PachecO  (i 571-1654)  was  born  at  Seville. 
He  was  a  writer  on  art,  and  is  more  famous  as  the  master  of 
Velasquez  and  on  account  of  his  books  than  for  his  pic- 
tures. He  established  a  school  where  younger  men  than 
himself  could  have  a  thorough  art  education.  Pacheco  was 
the  first  in  Spain  to  properly  gild  and  paint  statues  and 
bass-reliefs.  Some  specimens  of  his  work  in  this  specialty 
still  exist  in  Seville. 

Francisco  de  Herrera,  the  elder  (1576- 1656),  was 
a  very  original  painter.  He  was  born  at  Seville,  and  never 
studied  out  of  Andalusia.     He  had  so  bad  a  temper  that  he 


THE   SCHOOL   OF   SEVILLE.  21 5 

drove  his  children  and  his  pupils  away  from  him.  He  knew 
how  to  engrave  on  bronze,  and  made  false  coins  ;  when  his 
forgery  was  discovered,  he  took  refuge  with  the  Jesuits. 
While  in  their  convent  Herrera  painted  the  history  of  St. 
Hermengild,  one  of  the  patron  saints  of  Seville.  When 
Philip  IV.  saw  his  picture  he  forgave  him  his  crime,  and  set 
him  at  liberty. 

Francisco  Zurbaran  (i  598-1662)  was  one  of  the  first 
among  Spanish  painters.  He  was  skilful  in  the  use  of 
colors,  and  knew  how  to  use  sober  tints  and  give  them  a 
brilliant  effect.  He  did  not  often  paint  the  Madonna.  His 
female  saints  are  like  portraits  of  the  ladies  of  his  day.  He 
was  very  successful  in  painting  animals,  and  his  pictures  of 
drapery  and  still-life  were  exact  in  their  representation  of 
the  objects  he  used  for  models.  He  painted  historical  and 
religious  pictures,  portraits  and  animals  ;  but  his  best  pic- 
tures were  of  monks.  Stirling  says:  "He  studied  the 
Spanish  friar,  and  painted  him  with  as  high  a  relish  as  Titian 
painted  the  Venetian  noble,  and  Vandyck  the  gentleman  of 
England." 

Zurbaran  was  appointed  painter  to  Philip  IV.  before  he 
was  thirty-five  years  old.  He  was  a  great  favorite  with 
Philip,  who  once  called  Zurbaran  "  the  painter  of  the  king, 
and  king  of  painters."  Zurbaran's  finest  works  are  in  the 
Museum  of  Seville.  He  left  many  pictures,  and  the  Louvre 
claims  to  have  ninety-two  of  them  in  its  gallery. 

Diego  Rodriguez  de  Silva  y  Velasquez  (i 599-1660) 
was  born  at  Seville,  and  died  at  Madrid.  His  parents 
were  of  noble  families  ;  his  father  was  Juan  Rodriguez  de 
Silva,  and  his  mother  Geronima  Velasquez,  by  whose  name, 
according  to  the  custom  of  Andalusia,  he  was  called.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  Portuguese,  but  so  poor  that  he 
was  compelled  to  leave  his  own  country,  and  seek  his  fortune 
at  Seville,  and  to  this  circumstance  Spain  owes  her  greatest 
painter.     Velasquez's  father  became  a  lawyer,  and  lived  in 


2l6  PAINTING. 

comfort,  and  his  mother  devoted  herself  to  his  education. 
The  child's  great  love  of  drawing  induced  his  father  to  place 
young  Velasquez  in  the  school  of  Herrera,  where  the  pupil 
acquired  something  of  his  free,  bold  style.  But  Velasquez 
soon  became  weary,  and  entered  the  school  of  Francisco 
Pacheco,  an  inferior  painter,  but  a  learned  and  polished 
gentleman.  Here  Velasquez  soon  learned  that  untiring  in- 
dustry and  the  study  of  nature  were  the  surest  guides  to 
perfection  for  an  artist.  Until  1622  he  painted  pictures  from 
careful  studies  of  common  life,  and  always  with  the  model 
or  subject  before  him — adhering  strictly  to  form,  color, 
and  outline.  He  is  said  to  have  kept  a  peasant  lad  for  a 
study,  and  from  him  executed  a  variety  of  heads  in  every 
posture  and  with  every  possible  expression.  This  gave  him 
wonderful  skill  in  taking  likenesses.  To  this  period  belong 
the  "  Water  Carrier  of  Seville,"  now  at  Apsley  House,  sev- 
eral pictures  of  beggars,  and  the  "  Adoration  of  the  Sliep- 
herds,"  now  in  the  Louvre,  where  is  also  a  "  Beggar  Boy 
munching  a  piece  of  Pastry."  At  Vienna  is  a  ''  Laughing 
Peasant"  holding  a  flower  (Fig.  64),  and  in  Munich  another 
"  Beggar  Boy."  In  1622  his  strong  desire  to  see  the  paint- 
ings in  the  Royal  Galleries  led  him  to  Madrid.  Letters 
which  he  carried  gave  him  admission  to  the  works  of  art ; 
but  excepting  securing  the  friendship  of  P'onesca,  a  noted 
patron  of  art,  and  an  order  to  paint  a  portrait  of  the  poet  Gon- 
gora,  he  was  unnoticed,  and  so  he  returned  in  a  few  months 
to  Seville.  Subsequently  P^onesca  interested  the  minister 
Olivarez  in  his  behalf.  This  resulted  in  a  letter  summoning 
Velasquez  to  court,  with  an  enclosure  of  fifty  ducats  for  the 
journey.  He  was  attended  by  his  slave,  Juan  Pareja,  a 
mulatto  lad,  who  was  his  faithful  attendant  for  many  years, 
and  who  became  an  excellent  painter.  His  former  instruc- 
tor, Pacheco,  now  his  father-in-law,  also  accompanied 
him.  His  first  work  at  the  capital,  naturally,  was  a  portrait 
of  his  friend  P^oncsca,   which  so  pleased  the  king,  Philip 


Fig.  64.— Laughing  Pkasant      Velasquez. 


2l8  PAINTING. 

IV,,  that  he  appointed  Velasquez  to  his  service,  in  which 
he  remained  during  his  life.  This  gave  him  full  opportunity 
to  perfect  himself,  for  the  king  was  never  weary  of  multiply- 
ing pictures  of  himself.  Velasquez  also  painted  many  por- 
traits of  the  other  members  of  the  royal  family,  in  groups 
and  singly.  His  life  was  even  and  prosperous,  and  he  made 
steady  advances  toward  perfection.  He  was  sent  to  Italy 
to  study  and  to  visit  the  galleries  and  works  in  all  the  cities. 
A  second  time  the  king  sent  him  to  Italy  to  purchase  works 
of  art,  with  orders  to  buy  anything  he  thought  worth  hav- 
ing. He  was  everywhere  received  with  consideration  and 
kindness.  The  pope  sat  to  him  for  his  portrait ;  the  car- 
dinals Barberini  and  Rospigliosi  ;  the  sculptors  Bernini  and 
Algardi  ;  the  painters  Nicolas  Poussin,  Pietro  da  Cortona, 
Claude  and  Matteo  Prete  were  his  friends  and  associates. 
Upon  his  return  to  Madrid,  Velasquez  was  appointed  apo- 
sentador-major,  with  a  yearly  salary  of  three  thousand 
ducats,  and  a  key  at  his  girdle  to  unlock  every  door  in  the 
palace.  He  superintended  the  ceremonies  and  festivals  of 
the  royal  household  ;  he  arranged  in  the  halls  of  the  Alca- 
zar the  bronzes  and  marbles  purchased  in  Italy  ;  he  also  cast 
in  bronze  the  models  he  brought  from  abroad,  and  he  yet 
found  time  to  paint  his  last  great  picture,  "  Las  Meniflas," 
or  the  "  Maids  of  Honor,"  which  represents  the  royal  fam- 
ily, with  the  artist,  maids  of  honor,  the  dwarfs,  and  a  sleep- 
ing hound.  It  is  said  that  when  the  king  saw  the  picture 
he  declared  but  one  thing  was  wanting,  and  with  his  own 
hand  significantly  painted  the  cross  of  Santiago  upon  the 
breast  of  the  artist.  When  the  courts  of  France  and  Spain 
met  on  the  Isle  of  Pheasants  for  the  betrothal  of  the  Infanta 
Maria  Teresa  to  Louis  XIV. ,  Velasquez  superintended  all 
the  ceremonies  and  all  the  festivities.  These  were  of 
surpassing  splendor,  for  these  two  courts  were  at  this  time 
the  most  luxurious  in  Europe.  Stirling  says  the  fatigues  of 
the  life   of  Velasquez   shortened  his  days.     He  arrived  at 


220  PAINTING. 

Madrid  on  his  return,  on  June  26th,  and  from  that  time  was 
gradually  sinking.  He  died  August  6th.  He  was  buried 
with  magnificent  ceremonies  in  the  Church  of  San  Juan. 
His  wife  survived  him  but  eight  days ;  she  was  buried  in 
the  same  grave. 

The  character  of  Velasquez  was  a  rare  combination  of 
freedom  from  jealousy,  power  to  conciliate,  sweetness 
of  temper,  strength  of  will  and  intellect,  and  steadfastness 
of  purpose.  He  was  the  friend  of  Rubens  and  of  Ribera, 
the  protector  of  Cano  and  Murillo,  who  succeeded  and  were, 
next  to  him,  the  greatest  painters  of  Spain.  As  the  favor- 
ite of  Philip  IV.,  in  fact,  his  minister  for  artistic  affairs,  he 
filled  his  office  with  purity  and  disinterestedness. 

Juan  ue  Pareja  (1610-1670)  was  born  in  Spanish 
South  America.  He  was  never  a  great  artist  ;  but  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  life  make  him  interesting.  He  was  the 
slave  of  Velasquez,  and  was  employed  as  color-grinder. 
He  studied  painting  secretly,  and  at  last,  on  an  occasion 
when  the  king  visited  the  studio  of  his  master,  Pareja  showed 
him  a  picture  of  his  own  painting,  and  throwing  himself  at 
Philip's  feet  begged  pardon  for  his  audacity.  ]3oth  Philip 
and  Velasquez  treated  him  very  kindly.  Velasquez  gave 
Pareja  his  freedom  ;  but  it  is  said  that  he  continued  to  serve 
his  old  master  faithfully  as  long  as  he  lived.  Pareja  suc- 
ceeded best  as  a  portrait  painter.  His  works  are  not  nu- 
merous, and  are  seen  in  few  collections  out  of  Spain. 

BAinoLOME  ESTEBAN  MURILLO  (1618-1682)  was  born 
at  Seville.  His  parents  were  Gaspar  Estcban  and  Maria 
Perez,  and  the  name  of  his  maternal  grandmother,  Elvira 
Murillo,  was  added  to  his  own,  according  to  Andalusian 
custom.  l*"rom  childhood  he  showed  his  inclination  for  art, 
and  although  this  at  first  suggested  to  his  parents  that  he 
should  be  educated  as  a  priest,  the  idea  was  soon  abandoned, 
as  it  was  found  that  his  interest  in  the  paintings  which 
adorned  the  churches   was  artistic    rather   than    religious. 


MUKILLO.  221 

He  was  therefore,  at  an  early  age,  placed  in  the  studio  of 
his  maternal  uncle,  Juan  de  Castillo,  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  school  of  art  of  Seville.  Castillo  was  then  about  fifty 
years  old,  and  had  as  a  student  with  Louis  Fernandez  ac- 
quired the  Florentine  style  of  the  sixteenth  century — com- 
bining chaste  designing  with  cold  and  hard  coloring.  Mu- 
rillo  was  thus  early  instructed  not  only  in  grinding  colors 
and  in  indispensable  mechanical  details,  but  was  thor- 
oughly grounded  in  the  important  elements  of  purity  of 
conception  and  dignity  of  treatment  and  arrangement. 
Seville  at  this  time  was  the  richest  city  in  the  Spanish  em- 
pire. Its  commerce  with  all  Europe,  and  especially  with 
Spanish  America,  was  at  its  height.  The  Guadalquivir  was 
alive  with  its  shipping.  Its  palaces  of  semi-Moorish  origin 
were  occupied  by  a  wealthy  and  lu.xurious  nobility.  The 
vast  cathedral  had  been  finished  a  century  before.  The 
tower  "  La  Giralda,"  three  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  height, 
is  to  this  day  one  of  the  greatest  marvels  in  Christendom, 
and  with  its  Saracenic  ornament  and  its  "  lace  work  in 
stone  "  is  beyond  all  compare.  The  royal  palace  of  the 
Alcazar,  designed  by  Moorish  architects,  rivalled  the  AI- 
hambra,  and  was  filled  with  the  finest  workmanship  of  Gre- 
nada. There  were  one  hundred  and  forty  churches,  of 
which  man'-  had  been  mosques,  and  were  laden  with  the 
exquisite  ornaments  of  their  original  builders.  Such  a  city 
was  sure  to  stimulate  artists  and  be  their  home.  The 
poorer  ones  were  in  the  habit  of  exposing  their  works  on 
balconies,  on  the  steps  of  churches  or  the  cathedral,  or  in 
any  place  where  they  would  attract  attention.  Thus  it  often 
happened  on  festival  days  that  a  good  work  would  command 
fame  for  an  artist,  and  gain  for  him  the  patronage  of  some 
cathedral  chapter  or  generous  nobleman.  Castillo  removed 
to  Cadiz  in  1640,  and  Murillo,  who  was  very  poor,  could 
only  bring  himself  before  the  public,  and  earn  sufficient  for 
the  bare  necessities  of  life  by  thus  exposing  his  pictures  in 


222  PAINTING. 

the  market  of  the  Feria,  as  it  was  called,  in  front  of  the 
Church  of  All  Saints.  He  struggled  along  in  this  way  for 
two  years.  Early  in  1640,  Murillo  met  w  ith  an  old  fellow- 
pupil,  Moya,  who  had  been  campaigning  in  Flanders  in  the 
Spanish  army,  and  had  there  become  impressed  with  the 
worth  of  the  clear  and  strong  style  of  the  Flemish  masters. 
Especially  was  he  pleased  with  Vandyck,  so  that  he  fol- 
lowed him  to  England,  and  there  studied  as  his  pupil  during 
the  last  six  months  of  Vandyck's  life.  Mov-ed  by  Moya's 
romancing  stories  of  travel,  adventure,  and  study,  Murillo 
resolved  to  see  better  pictures  than  were  to  be  found  at 
Seville,  and,  if  possible,  to  visit  Italy.  As  a  first  step  he 
painted  a  quantity  of  banners,  madonnas,  flower-pieces — 
anything  and  everything — and  sold  them  to  a  ship  owner, 
who  sent  them  to  Spanish  America  ;  and  it  is  said  that  this 
and  similar  trades  originated  the  story  that  Murillo  once 
visited  Mexico  and  other  Spanish-American  countries. 
Thus  equipped  with  funds,  and  without  informing  his  friends 
(his  parents  were  dead),  he  started  on  foot  across  the  moun- 
tains and  the  equally  dreaded  plains  for  Madrid,  which  he 
entered  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  friendless  and  poor.  He 
sought  out  Velasquez,  and  asked  him  for  letters  to  his  friends 
in  Rome.  Ikit  Velasquez,  then  at  the  height  of  his  fame 
and  influence,  was  so  much  interested  in  the  young  enthu- 
siast that  he  offered  him  lodgings  and  an  opportunity  to 
study  and  copy  in  the  galleries  of  Madrid.  The  Royal  Gal- 
leries contained  carefully  selected  pictures  from  the  Italian 
and  Flemish  schools,  so  that  Murillo  was  at  once  placed  in 
the  very  best  possible  conditions  for  success.  Murillo  thus 
spent  more  than  two  years,  mostly  under  the  direction  of 
Velasquez,  and  worked  early  and  late.  He  copied  from 
the  Italian  and  Flemish  masters,  and  drew  from  casts  and 
from  life.  This  for  a  time  so  influenced  his  style  that  even 
now  connoisseurs  are  said  to  discern  reminiscences  of  Van- 
dyck and  Velasquez  in  the  pictures  painted  by  him  on  his 


MURILLO.  223 

first  return  to  Seville.  At  the  end  of  two  years  Velasquez 
advised  Murillo  to  go  to  Rome,  and  offered  to  assist  him. 
But  Murillo  decided  first  to  return  to  Seville,  and  perhaps 
had  come  to  the  resolution  not  to  go  to  Italy  ;  but  this  may 
be  doubted.  He  knew  the  progress  he  had  made  ;  he  was 
reasonably  certain  that,  if  not  the  superior,  he  was  the  equal 
of  any  of  the  artists  he  had  left  behind  in  Seville.  He  was 
sure  of  the  wealth,  and  taste,  and  love  for  art  in  his  native 
city.  His  only  sister  was  living  there.  The  rich  and  noble 
lady  he  afterward  married  resided  near  there.  And  so  we 
can  hardly  wonder  that  the  artist  gave  up  a  cherished  jour- 
ney to  Italy,  and  returned  to  the  scene  of  his  early  struggles 
with  poverty. 

The  first  works  which  Murillo  painted  after  his  return 
were  for  the  Franciscan  Convent.  They  brought  him  little 
money  but  much  fame.  They  were  eleven  in  number,  but 
even  the  names  of  some  are  lost.  One  represents  St. 
Francis  resting  on  his  iron  bed,  listening  in  ecstacy  to  the 
notes  of  a  violin  which  an  angel  is  playing  to  him  ;  another 
portrays  St.  Diego  of  Alcala,  asking  a  blessing  on  a  kettle 
of  broth  he  is  about  to  give  to  a  group  of  beggars  clustered 
before  him  ;  another  represents  the  death  of  St.  Clara  of 
Assisi,  in  the  rapturous  trance  in  which  her  soul  passed 
away,  surrounded  by  pale  nuns  and  emaciated  monks 
looking  upward  to  a  contrasting  group  of  Christ  and  the 
Madonna,  with  a  train  of  celestial  virgins  bearing  her  shin- 
ing robe  of  immortality.  The  companion  picture  is  a 
Franciscan  monk  who  passes  into  a  celestial  ecstacy  while 
cooking  in  the  convent  kitchen,  and  who  is  kneeling  in  the 
air,  while  angels  perform  his  culinary  tasks.  These  pictures 
brought  Murillo  into  speedy  notice.  Artists  and  nobles 
flocked  to  see  them.  Orders  for  portraits  and  altar-pieces 
followed  in  rapid  succession,  and  he  was  full  of  work.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  he  was  acknowledged  to  be  at  the 
head  of  his  profession  in  Seville,  his  style  at  this  time  was 


224  PAINTING. 

cold  and  hard.  It  is  called  frio  (cold),  to  distinguish  it 
from  his  later  styles.  The  Franciscan  Convent  pictures 
were  carried  off  by  Marshal  Soult,  and  fortunately  ;  for  the 
convent  was  burned  in  1810.  His  second  style,  called 
calido,  or  warm,  dated  from  about  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
in  1648,  to  a  lady  of  distinguished  family,  named  Dofia 
Beatriz  de  Cabrera  y  Sotomayor.  She  was  possessed  of 
considerable  property,  and  had  lived  in  the  village  of  Pilas, 
a  few  leagues  southwest  of  Seville.  Her  portrait  is  not 
known  to  exist ;  but  several  of  Murillo's  madonnas  which 
resemble  each  other  are  so  evidently  portraits,  that  the  be- 
lief is  these  idealized  faces  were  drawn  from  the  countenance 
of  the  wife  of  the  master. 

His  home  now  became  famous  for  its  hospitable  re- 
unions, and  his  social  position,  added  to  his  artistic  merits, 
procured  for  him  orders  beyond  his  utmost  ability  to  fill. 
One  after  another  in  quick  succession,  large,  grand  works 
were  sent  out  from  his  studio  to  be  the  pride  of  churches 
and  convents.  At  this  time  his  pictures  were  noted  for  a 
portrait-like  naturalness  in  their  faces,  perhaps  lacking  in 
idealism,  but  withal  pure  and  pleasing  ;  the  drapery  grace- 
ful and  well  arranged,  the  lights  skilfully  disposed,  the  tints 
harmonious,  and  the  contours  soft.  His  flesh  tints  were 
heightened  by  dark  gray  backgrounds,  so  amazingly  true 
that  an  admirer  has  said  they  were  painted  in  blood  and 
milk.  The  calido,  or  warm  manner,  was  preserved  for  eight 
or  ten  years.  In  this  style  were  painted  an  "  Immaculate 
Conception,"  for  the  Franciscan  Convent ;"  The  Nativity 
of  the  Virgin,"  for  the  high  altar  of  the  Seville  Cathedral  ; 
a  "St.  Anthony  of  Padua  "  for  the  same  church,  and  very 
many  others  equally  famous.  In  1874  the  St.  Anthony  was 
stolen  from  the  cathedral,  and  for  some  time  was  unheard 
of,  until  two  men  offered  to  sell  it  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  to  Mr.  Schaus,  the  picture  dealer  in  New  York.  He 
purchased  the  work  and  turned  it  over  to  the  Spanish  Con- 


MURILLO.  225 

sul,  who  immediately  returned  it  to  the  Seville  Cathedral, 
to  the  great  joy  of  the  Sevillians.  In  1658  Murillo  turned 
his  attention  to  the  founding  of  an  Academy  of  Art,  and, 
though  he  met  with  many  obstacles,  the  institution  was 
finally  opened  for  instruction  in  1660,  and  Murillo  was  its 
first  president.  At  this  time  he  was  taking  on  his  latest 
manner,  called  the  vaporoso,  or  vapory,  which  was  first  used 
in  some  of  his  pictures  executed  for  the  Church  of  Sta. 
Maria  la  Blanca.  In  this  manner  the  rigid  outlines  of  his 
first  style  is  gone  ;  there  is  a  feathery  lightness  of  touch  as 
if  the  brush  had  swept  the  canvas  smoothly  and  with  un- 
broken evenness  :  this  softness  is  enhanced  by  frequent  con- 
trasts with  harder  and  heavier  groups  in  the  same  picture. 

But  the  highest  point  in  the  art  was  reached  by  Murillo 
in  the  eleven  pictures  which  he  painted  in  the  Hospital  de 
la  Caridad.  Six  of  these  are  now  in  their  original  places  ; 
five  were  stolen  by  Soult  and  carried  to  France  ;  some  were 
returned  to  Spain,  but  not  to  the  hospital. 

The  convent  of  the  Capuchins  at  Seville  at  one  time  pos- 
sessed twenty  pictures  by  this  master.  The  larger  part 
of  them  are  now  in  the  Museum  of  Seville,  and  form  the 
finest  existing  collection  of  his  works.  This  museum  was 
once  a  church,  and  the  statue  of  Murillo  is  placed  in  front 
of  it.  Although  the  lighting  of  this  museum  is  far  inferior 
to  that  of  Madrid  and  many  others,  yet  here  one  must  go 
to  realize  fully  the  glory  of  this  master.  Among  the  pic- 
tures is  the  "  Virgen  de  la  Sevilleta,"  or  Virgin  of  the 
Napkin.  It  is  said  that  the  cook  of  the  convent  had  become 
the  friend  of  the  painter,  and  begged  of  him  some  memento 
of  his  good  feeling;  the  artist  had  no  canvas,  and  the  cook 
gave  him  a  napkin  upon  which  this  great  work  was  done. 

Murillo's  representation  of  that  extremely  spiritual  and 

mystical  subject  called  the  Immaculate  Conception,  has  so 

far  excelled  that  of  any  other  artist  that  he  has  sometimes 

been  called  "  the  painter  of  the  Conception."     His  attention 

IS 


1  lo    (X),  -  liii.   l.M.MAH  i..\  1  K  I  (i.Nuh.i'TiuN.      />;>'  Murilio.     Ill  the  Louvi 


MURILLO.  227 

was  especially  called  to  this  subject  by  the  fact  that  the 
doctrine  it  sets  forth  was  a  pet  with  the  clergy  of  Seville, 
who,  when  Pope  Paul  V.,  in  1617,  published  a  bull  mak- 
ing this  doctrine  obligatory,  celebrated  the  occasion  with 
all  possible  pomp  in  the  churches  ;  the  nobles  also  gave 
entertainments,  and  the  whole  city  was  alive  with  a  fervor 
of  religious  zeal  and  a  desire  to  manifest  its  love  for  this 
dogma.  The  directions  given  by  the  Inspector  of  the 
Holy  Office  for  the  representation  of  this  subject  were  ex- 
tremely precise  ;  but  Murillo  complied  with  them  in  general 
effect  only,  and  disregarded  details  when  it  pleased  him  :  for 
example,  the  rules  prescribed  the  age  of  the  Virgin  to  be 
from  twelve  to  thirteen,  and  the  hair  to  be  of  golden  hue. 
Murillo  sometimes  pictured  her  as  a  dark-haired  woman. 
It  is  said  that  when  he  painted  the  Virgin  as  very  young 
his  daughter  Francesca  was  his  model ;  later  the  daughter 
became  a  nun  in  the  convent  of  the  Madre  de  Dios. 

The  few  portraits  painted  by  Murillo  are  above  all  praise  ; 
his  pictures  of  humble  life,  too,  would  of  themselves  have 
sufficed  to  make  him  famous.  No  Spanish  artist,  except 
Velasquez,  has  painted  better  landscapes  than  he.  But  so 
grand  and  vast  were  his  religious  works  that  his  fame  rests 
principally  on  them.  It  is  true,  however,  that  in  England 
and  in  other  countries  out  of  Spain  he  was  first  made  famous 
by  his  beggar  boys  and  kindred  subjects. 

Murillo  and  Velasquez  may  be  said  to  hold  equivalent 
positions  in  the  annals  of  Spanish  Art — Murillo  as  the  painter 
for  the  church,  and  Velasquez  as  that  of  the  court.  As  a 
delineator  of  religious  subjects  Murillo  ranked  only  a  very 
little  below  the  greatest  Italian  masters,  and  even  beside 
them  he  excels  in  one  direction  ;  for  he  is  able  more  gener- 
ally and  fully  to  arouse  religious  emotions  and  sympathies. 
This  stamps  his  genius  as  that  of  the  first  order,  and  it 
should  also  be  placed  to  his  credit,  in  estimating  his  native 
talent,  that  he  never  saw  anything  of  all  the  Classic  Art 


228  PAINTING. 

which  was  such  a  source  of  inspiration  to  the  artists  of  Italy. 
Stirling  says  :  "  All  his  ideas  were  of  home  ijrowth  ;  his 
mode  of  expression  was  purely  national  and  Spanish  ;  his 
model — nature,  as  it  existed  in  and  around  Seville." 

While  painting  a  marriage  of  St.  Catherine  for  the  Ca- 
puchin Church  of  Cadiz,  Murillo  fell  from  the  scaffold,  and 
soon  died  from  his  injuries  :  he  was  buried  in  the  Church 
of  Sta.  Cruz,  and  it  is  a  sad  coincidence  that  this  church 
and  that  of  San  Juan,  at  Madrid,  in  which  Velasquez  was 
interred,  were  both  destroyed  by  the  French  under  the 
command  of  Soult. 

The  character  of  Murillo  was  such  as  to  command  the 
greatest  respect,  and  though  he  was  not  associated  witli  as 
many  royal  personages  as  Velasquez,  he  was  invited  to 
court,  and  received  many  flattering  acknowledgments  of  his 
genius.  His  fame  was  not  confined  to  his  own  country, 
and  his  portrait  was  engraved  in  Flanders  during  the  last 
year  of  his  life.  He  had  many  strong  personal  friends,  and 
his  interest  in  the  academy  and  his  generosity  to  other  art- 
ists prove  him  to  have  been  above  all  mean  jealousies  : 
he  loved  Art  because  it  was  Art,  and  did  all  in  his  power 
for  its  elevation  in  his  own  country.  It  is  probable  that 
since  his  death  more  money  has  been  paid  for  a  single  pic- 
ture by  him  than  he  received  for  the  entire  work  of  his  life. 
The  Immaculate  Conception,  now  in  the  Louvre,  was  sold 
from  the  Soult  collection  for  six  hundred  and  fifteen  thou- 
sand three  hundred  francs,  or  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty-three  thousand  dollars.  At  the  time  of  its  sale  it 
was  believed  to  be  the  largest  price  ever  paid  for  a  picture. 

Sebastian  Gomez  (about  1620)  was  a  mulatto  slave  of 
Murillo's,  and  like  Piireja  he  secretly  learned  to  paint.  At 
last  one  day  when  Murillo  left  a  sketch  of  a  head  of  the 
Virgin  on  his  easel  Gomez  dared  to  finish  it.  Murillo  was 
glad  to  find  that  he  had  made  a  painter  of  his  slave,  and 
though  the  pictures  of  Gomez  were  full  of  faults  his  color 


THE   SCHOOL   OF   VALENXIA.  229 

was  much  like  that  of  his  master.  Two  of  his  pictures  are 
in  the  Museum  of  Seville.  He  did  not  live  long  after 
Murillo's  death  in  1682. 

Don  Alonso  Miguel  de  Tobar  (1678-1758)  never  at- 
tained to  greatness.  His  best  original  pictures  were  por- 
traits. He  made  a  great  number  of  copies  of  the  works  of 
Murillo,  and  was  chiefly  famous  for  these  pictures.  There  is 
little  doubt  that  many  pictures  attributed  to  Murillo  are 
replicas,  or  copies  by  the  hand  of  Tobar. 

The  school  of  Valencia  flourished  from  1506  to  1680, 
Vicente  de  Joanes  (about  1506- 1579)  was  a  painter  of 
religious  pictures  who  is  scarcely  known  out  of  Spain,  and 
in  that  country  his  pictures  are,  almost  without  exception, 
in  churches  and  convents.  He  was  very  devout,  and  began 
his  works  with  fasting  and  prayer.  It  is  related  that  on  one 
occasion  a  Jesuit  of  Valencia  had  a  vision  in  which  the 
Virgin  Mary  appeared  to  him,  and  commanded  him  to  have 
a  picture  painted  of  her  in  a  dress  like  that  she  then  wore, 
which  was  a  white  robe  with  a  blue  mantle.  She  was  to  be 
represented  standing  on  a  crescent  with  the  mystic  dove 
floating  above  her ;  her  Son  was  to  crown  her,  while  the 
Father  was  to  lean  from  the  clouds  above  all. 

The  Jesuit  selected  Joanes  to  be  the  painter  of  this  work, 
and  though  he  fasted  and  prayed  much  he  could  not  paint 
it  so  as  to  please  himself  or  the  Jesuit.  At  last  his  pious  zeal 
overcame  all  obstacles,  and  his  picture  was  hung  above  the 
altar  of  the  Immaculate  in  the  convent  of  the  Jesuits.  It  was 
very  beautiful — the  artists  praised  it,  the  monks  believed 
that  it  had  a  miraculous  power,  and  it  was  known  as  "  La 
Purisima,"  or  the  perfectly  pure  one. 

Joanes  excelled  in  his  pictures  of  Christ.  He  seemed  to 
have  conceived  the  very  Christ  of  the  Scriptures,  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  visions  of  St.  John,  or  of  the  poetry  of  Solomon. 
In  these  pictures  he  combined  majesty  with  grace  and  love 
with   strength.       Joanes    frequently   represented    the   Last 


!30 


PAINTING. 


Supper,  and  introduced  a  cup  which  is  known  as  the  Holy 
Chalice  of  Valencia.  It  is  made  of  agate  and  adorned  with 
gold  and  gems,  and  was  believed  to  have  been  used  by 
Christ  at  his  Last  Supper  with  his  disciples.  Some  of  the 
portraits  painted  by  Joanes  are  very  fine.  In  manner  and 
general  effect  his  works  are  strangely  like  those  of  the 
great  Raphael. 

Francisco  de  Ribalta  (i 550-1628)  was  really  the 
head  of  the  school  of  Valencia,  and  one  of  the  best  historical 
painters  of  Spain.  He  studied  his  art  first  in  Valencia,  and 
there  fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of  his  master.  The 
father  refused  him  his  suit,  and  the  young  couple  parted  in 
deep  sorrow.  Ribalta  went  to  Italy,  where  he  made  such 
progress,  and  gained  such  fame  that  when  he  returned  to 
Valencia  he  had  no  trouble  in  marrying  his  old  master's 
daughter.  Valencia  has  more  pictures  by  Ribalta  than  are 
found  elsewhere.  Out  of  Spain  they  are  very  rare.  One  of 
his  w^orks  is  at  Magdalene  College,  Oxford. 

One  peculiarity  of  the  Spanish  painters  was  that  they 
painted  the  extremes  of  emotion.  Their  subjects  repre- 
sented the  ecstacy  of  bliss  or  the  most  excruciating  agony. 
They  did  not  seem  to  have  as  much  middle  ground  or  to 
know  as  much  of  moderate  emotions  as  the  painters  of  other 
nations.  Ribalta  was  no  exception  to  this  rule,  and  some  of 
his  pictures  are  painful  to  look  at.  His  portraits  are  fine, 
and  represent  the  most  powerful  men  of  Valencia  of  the 
time  in  which  he  lived. 

JOSKF  DE  RiBEKA  was  a  native  of  Valencia,  but  lived  and 
studied  in  Italy,  and  so  became  more  of  an  Italian  than  a 
Spanish  master.  I  have  spoken  of  him  in  connection  with 
the  Naturalists  and  their  school  at  Naples. 

Alonso  Cano  (1601-1667)  was  a  very  important  artist, 
and  cannot  be  said  to  belong  to  any  school.  He  was  born 
at  Granada,  and  studied  under  masters  of  Seville,  both  in 
painting  and  sculpture.      He  became  the  best  Spanish  artist 


ALONSO    CANO.  23  I 

who  studied  in  Spain  only.  He  was  something  of  an 
architect  also,  and  his  various  talents  acquired  a  high  place 
for  him  among  artists  ;  but  his  temper  was  such  as  to  cause 
him  much  trouble,  and  it  so  interfered  with  his  life  that  he 
did  not  attain  to  the  position  to  which  his  artistic  gifts  en- 
titled him. 

In  1637  he  fought  a  duel,  and  was  obliged  to  flee  from 
Madrid,  and  in  1644  his  wife  was  found  murdered  in  her 
bed.  Cano  was  suspected  of  the  crime,  and  although  he 
fled  he  was  found,  and  brought  back,  and  put  to  the  torture. 
He  made  no  confession,  and  was  set  at  liberty;  but  many 
people  believed  in  his  guilt.  He  still  held  his  office  as  painter 
to  the  king,  and  was  sometimes  employed  on  important 
works  ;  but  he  determined  to  remove  to  his  native  Granada 
and  become  a  priest.  Philip  IV.  appointed  him  canon,  and 
after  he  held  this  office  he  was  still  employed  as  a  painter 
and  sculptor  by  private  persons,  as  well  as  by  religious 
bodies,  and  was  even  sent  to  Malaga  to  superintend  im- 
provements in  the  cathedral  there.  But  his  temper  led  him 
into  so  many  broils  that  at  length,  in  1659,  the  chapter  of 
Granada  deprived  him  of  his  office.  He  went  to  the  king 
with  his  complaints,  and  was  again  made  a  canon  ;  but  he 
was  so  angry  that  he  never  would  use  his  brush  or  his 
chisel  in  the  service  of  the  Cathedral  of  Granada. 

His  life  was  now  devoted  to  charity  and  good  works. 
He  gave  away  all  his  money  as  soon  as  he  received  it. 
When  his  purse  was  empty  he  would  go  into  a  shop,  and 
beg  a  pencil  and  paper,  and  sketching  a  head  or  other 
design  would  mark  the  price  on  it,  and  give  it  to  a  beggar 
with  directions  for  finding  a  purchaser  for  it.  After  his 
death  large  numbers  of  these  charity  works  were  collected. 

One  of  his  strong  characteristics  was  hatred  of  the  Jews. 
He  would  cross  the  street,  in  order  not  to  meet  one  of  them, 
and  would  throw  away  a  garment  that  had  brushed  against 
one   of  the  race.     One  day  he  went  home,  and  found  his 


232  PAINTING. 

housekeeper  bargaining  with  a  Jew  ;  he  chased  him  away 
with  great  fury,  sent  the  woman  off  to  be  purified,  re- 
paved  the  spot  where  the  Jew  had  stood,  and  gave  the  shoes 
in  which  he  had  chased  him  to  a  servant.  When  about  to 
die  Cano  would  not  receive  the  sacrament  from  the  priest 
who  was  present,  because  he  had  communicated  with  Jews, 
and  when  a  rude  crucifix  was  held  before  him  he  pushed  it 
away.  When  he  was  reproved  for  this  he  said  :  "  Vex 
me  not  with  this  thing  ;  but  give  nie  a  simple  cross  that  I 
may  adore  it,  both  as  it  is,  and  as  I  can  figure  it  in  my 
mind."  When  this  was  done,  it  is  said  that  he  died  in  a 
most  edifying  manner. 

Very  few  of  Cano's  architectural  works  remain  ;  a  few 
drawings  of  this  sort  are  in  the  Louvre  which  are  simple 
and  elegant  in  style.  The  finest  carving  by  him  is  a  small 
figure  of  the  Virgin,  now  in  the  Cathedral  of  Granada. 
Eight  of  his  pictures  are  in  the  Queen  of  Spain's  gallery  at 
Madrid,  and  the  Church  of  Getafe,  the  Cathedral  of  Granada 
and  that  of  Malaga  have  his  works.  A  beautiful  madonna, 
which  was  one  of  his  latest  works,  is  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Cathedral  of  Valencia,  and  is  lighted  by  votive  tapers  only. 
His  pictures  are  rare  out  of  Spain.  One  of  his  portraits  is 
in  the  Louvre.  Other  works  are  in  Berlin,  Dresden,  Mu- 
nich, and  the  Hermitage,  St.  Petersburg. 

The  last  Spanish  painter  of  whom  I  shall  speak  belongs 
to  a  much  later  period.  Francisco  Goya  y  Lucien- 
TES  ( 1 746-1 828)  was  a  student  in  Rome,  and  after  his  re- 
turn to  Spain  lived  in  fine  style  in  a  villa  near  Madrid.  He 
was  painter  to  Charles  IV.,  and  was  always  employed  on 
orders  from  the  nobility.  He  painted  portraits  and  reli- 
gious pictures,  but  his  chief  excellence  was  in  painting  car- 
icatures. He  was  never  weary  of  painting  the  priests  and 
monks  in  all  sorts  of  ridiculous  ways.  He  made  them  in 
the  form  of  apes  and  asses,  and  may  be  called  the  Hogarth 
of  Spain,  so  well  did  he  hold  up  the  people  about  him  to 


GOVA.  233 

ridicule.  He  painted  with  great  boldness  and  could  use  a 
sponge  or  stick  in  place  of  a  brush.  Sometimes  he  made 
a  picture  with  his  palette  knife,  and  put  in  the  fine  touches 
with  his  thumb.  He  executed  engravings  also,  and  pub- 
lished eighty  prints  which  he  called  "  Caprices."  These 
were  very  famous  ;  they  were  satires  upon  all  Spanish 
laws  and  customs.  He  also  made  a  series  of  plates  about 
the  French  invasion,  thirty-three  prints  of  scenes  in  the 
bull- ring,  and  etchings  of  some  of  the  works  of  Velasquez. 
Portraits  of  Charles  IV.  and  his  queen  by  Goya  are  in  the 
museum  at  Madrid.  Works  of  his  are  in  the  Louvre  and 
in  the  National  Gallery  in  London.  His  pictures  sell  for 
large  prices.  In  1870  his  picture  of  Charlotte  Corday  sold 
for  five  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


PAINTING   IN   FRANCE. 


THE  French  school  of  painting  does  not  date  earlier 
than  the  sixteenth  century,  and  the  painters  of  that 
time  were  few  in  number,  and  little  is  known  of  them.  Be- 
fore the  time  when  a  French  school  could  be  said  to  exist 
the  kings  of  France  employed  foreign  artists  to  decorate 
their  palaces  and  churches,  and  they  naturally  turned  to  the 
Italians  for  all  that  they  needed.  Hence  it  happened  that 
in  its  earliest  days  the  French  school  was  almost  entirely 
under  Italian  influence,  and  I  shall  first  speak  of  French 
masters  who  studied  in  Italy. 

Nicholas  Poussin  (i 594-1665)  may  be  said  to  belong 
to  the  seventeenth  century,  since  he  was  born  so  late  in  the 
preceding  one.  Poussin  was  born  in  Normandy,  and  early 
began  to  draw  and  paint.  He  studied  somewhat  in  France, 
and  when  thirty  years  old  went  to  Rome,  where,  in  reality, 
his  artistic  career  began.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Andrea  Sacchi, 
and  received  some  instruction  from  Domenichino  also  ;  but 
he  formed  his  style  principally  by  studying  the  works  of 
the  ancients  and  those  of  the  great  Raphael.  He  was  so 
devoted  to  the  study  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
Greeks  that  he  almost  became  one  of  them  in  his  modes  of 
thought. 

He  was  very  poor  when  he  first  went  to  Rome  ;  but  he 
worked  hard,  and  began  to  be  known  and  to  receive  orders 
for  pictures.     Louis  XIII.  heard  of  Poussin,  and  invited  him 


236  PAINTING. 

to  Paris,  where  he  gave  him  apartments  in  the  Tuileries.  But 
the  artist  longed  to  return  to  Rome,  and  made  a  piea  of 
going  for  his  wife.  Soon  after  he  left,  Louis  died,  and  Pous- 
sin  never  returned  to  France.  Poussin  was  always  busy  ; 
but  he  asked  such  moderate  prices  that  he  was  never  rich, 
and,  when  a  great  man  pitied  the  artist  because  he  had  so  few 
servants,  Poussin  pitied  him  in  return  for  having  so  many. 
His  portrait  painted  by  himself  is  in  the  Louvre,  where  are 
many  of  his  mythological  pictures.  His  love  for  the  classic 
manner  makes  these  subjects  his  best  works.  His  paintings 
are  seen  in  many  European  galleries. 

Claude  Lorraine  (1600-1682),  whose  real  name  was 
Claude  Gelce,  was  born  in  Champagne  in  Lorraine.  His 
parents  were  ver}'  poor,  and  died  when  he  was  still  }  oung  : 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  pastry-cook,  and  so  travelled  to 
Rome  as  servant  to  some  young  gentlemen.  Not  long 
after  his  arrival  he  engaged  himself  to  the  painter  Agostino 
Tassi,  for  whom  he  cooked,  and  mixed  colors.  After  a  time 
he  himself  began  to  paint.  Nature  was  his  teacher  ;  he 
studied  her  with  unchanging  devotion  ;  he  knew  all  her 
changes,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  sitting  for  a  whole  day 
watching  one  scene,  so  that  he  could  paint  from  memory 
its  different  aspects  at  the  various  hours  of  the  day.  His 
works  brought  him  into  notice  when  he  was  still  young. 
He  received  many  orders,  and  when  about  twenty-seven 
years  old  some  pictures  he  painted  for  Pope  Urban  VHL 
established  his  fame  as  an  artist  of  high  rank.  His  charac- 
ter was  above  reproach,  and  his  feelings  were  as  tender  as 
many  of  his  pictures.  He  was  attractive  in  person,  though 
his  face  was  grave  in  its  expression.  It  would  seem  that 
he  should  have  left  a  large  fortune,  but  he  did  not.  This 
was  partly  because  he  suffered  much  from  gout,  and  was 
often  unable  to  paint  ;  but  a  better  reason  probably  is  that 
he  gave  so  much  to  his  needy  relations  that  he  could  not 
save  large  sums. 


CLAUDE    LORRAlXi:.  237 

Claude  Lorraine  has  been  called  the  prince  and  poet  of 
landscape  painters.  Liibke,  the  German  art  writer,  praises 
him  very  much,  and  his  praise  is  more  valuable  than  it  would 
be  if  it  came  from  one  of  Claude's  own  countrymen.  He 
says:  "Far  more  profoundly  than  all  other  masters  did 
Claude  Gelee  penetrate  into  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  by 
the  enchanting  play  of  sunlight,  the  freshness  of  his  dewy 
foregrounds,  and  the  charm  of  his  atmospheric  distances,  he 
obtained  a  tone  of  feeling  which  influences  the  mind  like  an 
eternal  Sabbath  rest.  In  his  works  there  is  all  the  splen- 
dor, light,  untroubled  brightness,  and  harmony  of  the  first 
morning  of  creation  in  Paradise.  His  masses  of  foliage 
have  a  glorious  richness  and  freshness,  and  even  in  the  deep- 
est shadows  are  interwoven  with  a  golden  glimmer  of  light. 
But  they  serve  only  as  a  mighty  framework,  for,  more  freely 
than  with  other  masters,  the  eye  wanders  through  a  rich 
foreground  into  the  far  distance,  the  utmost  limits  of  which 
fade  away  in  golden  mist." 

His  two  great  charms  are  the  immense  space  which  he 
represents  in  his  pictures  and  his  beautiful  color.  The  lat- 
ter appears  as  if  he  had  first  used  a  silvery  gray,  and  then 
put  his  other  colors  over  that,  which  gives  his  works  a  soft, 
lovely  atmospheric  effect,  such  as  no  other  artist  has  sur- 
passed. When  he  introduced  buildings  into  his  pictures 
they  were  well  done  ;  but  his  figures  and  animals  were  so 
imperfect  that  he  was  accustomed  to  say  that  he  sold  the 
landscape,  and  gave  away  the  figures. 

Before  his  death  his  pictures  were  so  much  valued  that 
other  artists  tried  to  imitate  them,  and  he  was  accustomed 
to  keep  a  book  of  sketches  by  which  his  works  could  be 
proved.  He  called  this  book  "  Liber  Veritatis,"  and  before 
his  death  it  reached  six  volumes  ;  one  of  these  containing 
two  hundred  drawings  is  at  Chatsworth.  A  catalogue  of 
his  works  describes  more  than  four  hundred  landscapes. 
All  the  principal  galleries  of  Europe  have  his  pictures,  and 


238  PAINTING. 

there  are  a  great  number  of  them  in  England,  both  in  pub- 
lic and  private  collections. 

Sebastian  Bourdon  (1616-1671),  who  was  born  at 
Montpelier,  made  his  studies  in  Rome.  He  brought  himself 
into  notice  by  a  picture  of  the  Crucifixion  of  St.  Peter,  which 
is  now  in  the  Louvre.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  members 
of  the  French  Academy.  Bourdon  resided  in  Sweden  for 
some  years  ;  but  was  in  Paris,  and  held  the  position  of  Rec- 
tor of  the  Academy  when  he  died.  He  painted  a  few  ^^«r^ 
subjects,  and  two  of  his  portraits  by  himself  are  in  the 
Louvre  ;  but  his  best  works  were  landscapes,  and  in  these  his 
style  was  like  that  of  Salvator  Rosa.  It  has  been  said  that 
Rigaud  assisted  him  in  his  portraits  of  himself.  Bourdon 
made  some  engravings,  and  collectors  prize  his  plates  very 
much. 

There  were  other  French  painters  who  studied  in  Italy, 
but  those  that  I  have  mentioned  are  the  important  ones.  Of 
those  who  studied  in  their  own  country  only,  EUSTACHE  LE 
SUEUR  (161 7-165 5)  was  the  first  of  any  importance  ;  but  his 
life  was  short  and  uneventful,  and  he  was  not  appreciated. 
His  most  important  works  are  in  the  Louvre. 

Charles  le  Brun  (1619-1690)  was  very  prominent  in 
his  day.  His  father  was  a  sculptor,  and  was  employed  by 
the  Chancellor  Segnier.  This  nobleman's  attention  was  at- 
tracted to  the  son,  and  he  at  length  sent  the  young  Lc  Brun 
to  Italy  to  study.  He  remained  there  six  years,  and  after 
his  return  to  Paris  he  was  made  painter  to  the  king,  and 
became  the  favorite  of  the  court.  He  used  his  opportunities 
to  persuade  Louis  XIV.  to  found  the  Royal  Academy  at 
Paris,  which  was  done  in  1648.  All  his  principal  pictures 
arc  in  the  Louvre. 

Pierre  Mignard  (1612-1695)  has  been  called  "the 
Roman,"  because  he  lived  in  Rome  twenty-two  j'cars,  and 
while  there  was  patronized  by  three  successive  popes.  In 
1664  he  was  made  President  of  the  Academy  of  St.  Luke  in 


ANTOINE    WATTEAU.  2^9 

Rome.  At  length  Louis  XIV.  invited  him  to  return  to 
France.  In  1690  he  succeeded  Le  Brun  as  court  painter, 
and  was  made  Chancellor  of  the  Academy.  His  portraits 
are  his  best  works,  and  these  are  seen  in  the  galleries  of  vari- 
ous European  countries. 

Hyacinthe  Rigaud  (1659-1743)  became  the  most 
distinguished  French  portrait  painter  of  his  time  ;  but  his 
pictures  are  not  very  attractive  or  interesting  in  our  day. 
He  finished  them  too  much,  and  so  gave  them  an  artificial 
appearance.  Then,  too,  the  costume  of  his  day  was  such 
that  his  portraits  seem  to  be  the  portraits  of  wigs  and  not 
of  people.  They  are  very  numerous.  He  often  painted  the 
portrait  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  had  illustrious  people  from  all 
parts  of  Europe  among  his  sitters. 

Antoine  Watteau  (1684-1721)  was  the  first  to  practise 
a  new  style  of  painting.  The  habit  of  the  French  court  was 
to  pass  much  time  in  elegant  out-door  amusements.  Wat- 
teau represented  the  scenes  of  the  fr/cs  galantes  and  re- 
unions then  so  much  in  fashion.  His  pictures  are  crowded 
with  figures  in  beautiful  costumes.  There  are  groups  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  promenading,  dancing,  love-making, 
and  lounging  in  pleasant  grounds  with  temples  and  foun- 
tains and  everything  beautiful  about  them.  The  pictures 
of  Watteau  are  fine,  and  are  seen  in  many  galleries.  His 
color  is  brilliant,  and  to  their  worth  as  pictures  is  added 
the  historical  interest  which  belongs  to  them,  because  they 
give  us  the  best  idea  of  court  life,  dress,  and  manners  of  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV.  which  can  be  had  from  any  paintings. 

The  followers  of  Watteau  were  numerous,  but  are  not  of 
great  importance.  There  were  a  few  painters  of  animals  and 
fowers  in  the  French  school  ;  but  we  shall  pass  to  the  genre 
painters,  among  whom  Jean-Baptiste  Greuze  (1725-1805) 
was  important.  He  painted  very  beautiful  pictures  of 
young  girls  and  children.  His  color  is  very  agreeable,  and 
some  of  his  works  are  finished  as  finely  as  if  they  were  done 


240  PAINTING. 

on  ivory.  Most  of  his  pictures  are  in  private  galleries,  but 
they  are  seen  in  some  public  collections.  Probably  the 
"  Broken  Jug,"  in  the  Louvre,  is  his  best  known  work.  His 
pictures  sell  for  very  large  prices.  At  the  Forster  sale  ih 
1876,  "  A  Little  Girl  with  a  Lap  Dog  in  her  Arms  "'  brought 
six  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  ;  in  1772 
the  same  picture  was  sold  for  three  hundred  pounds,  and  in 
1832  it  was  again  sold  for  seven  hundred  and  three  pounds. 
Thus  we  see  that  in  fifty-four  years  its  value  had  increased 
to  more  than  nine  times  its  price,  and  in  one  hundred  and 
four  years  it  brought  twenty-two  times  as  much  as  it  was 
first  sold  for. 

Claude  Joseph  Vernet  (1714-17891  was  the  best 
marine  painter  of  the  French  school.  Louis  XV.  commis- 
sioned him  to  paint  the  seaports  of  France.  Fifteen  of 
these  pictures  are  in  the  Louvre.  There  have  been  many 
engravings  after  his  works.  His  pictures  of  Italian  seaports 
and  views  near  Rome  and  Tivoli  are  among  his  best  paint- 
ings. His  color  has  little  variety  ;  but  his  drawing  is  correct, 
and  his  finish  is  very  careful  and  fine.  \''crnet  also  made  a 
few  etchings. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  JOSEPH 
Marie  Vien  (i7i6-[8o9)  returned  to  the  classic  style 
of  painting,  and  created  a  feeling  against  the  pretty  man- 
ner which  had  been  the  chief  feature  of  French  pictures 
for  some  time.  His  pictures  are  very  numerous  in  the 
churches  and  galleries  of  Paris.  He  was  not  a  great  painter, 
but  he  marks  a  change  in  the  spirit  of  French  painting. 
Vien  was  the  teacher  of  JACQUES  LOUIS  David  (1748-1825), 
who  was  considered  the  first  painter  in  modern  art  at  the 
close  of  the  eighteenth  century.  He  was  so  devoted  to  the 
classic  style  that  he  took  the  remains  of  ancient  art  as 
models  for  the  figures  in  his  pictures.  His  groups  are  like 
groups  of  statues,  and  his  flesh  looks  like  marble,  it  is  so 
hard  and  lifeless.     During  the  time  of  the  first  Napoleon 


242  PAINTING. 

this  style  was  carried  to  excess  in  everything  connected  with 
the  arts.  David  was  such  a  favorite  with  the  emperor  that 
after  the  return  of  the  Bourbons  he  was  banished,  and  his 
family  were  not  allowed  to  bury  him  in  France.  He  lived 
in  Brussels,  and  executed  many  of  his  best  pictures  there. 

AntoiNE  Jean  Gros  (1771-1835)  was  a  great  admirer 
of  David,  and  first  attracted  attention  in  1801  by  a  picture 
of  '*  Bonaparte  on  the  Bridge  of  Areola."  After  this  Gros 
painted  many  such  works,  and  principally  represented  mil- 
itary events.  Many  of  his  pictures  are  very  coarse.  The 
"  Plague  at  Jaffa  "  and  the  "  Field  of  Eylau  "  are  of  this 
type,  and  the  first  is  disgusting.  Among  his  best  works  is 
' '  Francis  I.  and  Charles  V.  visiting  the  Tombs  at  St.  Denis." 
But  although  he  received  many  honors,  and  was  made  a 
baron  by  Charles  X.,  he  could  not  bear  the  criticism  which 
was  made  upon  his  pictures,  and  finally  drowned  himself  in 
the  Seine  near  Meudon. 

Paul  Delaroche  (i 797-1 856)  was  born  at  Paris,  and 
studied  under  Baron  Gros.  He  became  a  celebrated  artist 
and  was  made  a  member  of  the  Institute  of  France,  a  Pro- 
fessor in  rficole  des  Beaux-Arts,  and  an  ofiicer  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor.  His  principal  works  represent  scenes  of  impor- 
tant historical  interest,  and  he  so  arranged  them  that  they 
appeal  to  one's  sympathies  with  great  power.  Among  these 
pictures  are  the  "  Condemnation  of  Marie  Antoinette," 
the  "  Death  of  the  Duke  of  Guise,"  "  Cromwell  Contem- 
plating the  Remains  of  Charles  I.,"  and  other  similar  his- 
torical incidents.  His  design  was  according  to  academical 
rules  ;  but  he  was  not  entirely  conventional,  and  in  some  of 
his  religious  pictures  there  was  much  expression  and  deep 
feeling. 

His  largest  and  most  famous  work  is  the  "  Hcmicycle," 
in  I'Ecole  des  Beaux-Arts,  Paris.  He  was  occupied  with 
this  painting  during  three  years  ;  it  contains  seventy-five 
figures  of  life  size.     The  arts  of  different  countries  and  ages 


244  PAINTING. 

arc  represented  in  it  by  portraits  of  the  artists  of  the  times 
and  nations  typified.  Thus  it  is  very  interesting  when  con- 
sidered merely  as  a  great  collection  of  portraits.  Delaroche 
married  the  daughter  of  Horace  Vernet,  and  it  is  said  that 
the  figure  which  stands  for  Gothic  Architecture  is  a  por- 
trait of  her.  The  Hemicycle  is  richly  colored,  and  has  a 
great  deal  of  fine  painting  in  it ;  but  from  its  very  nature  it 
has  no  dramatic  power,  and  does  not  arouse  any  deep  sen- 
timent in  one  who  studies  it.  Delaroche  was  paid  only 
about  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  this  great  labor,  and  re- 
fused to  have  any  further  reward. 

Perhaps  none  of  his  woi-ks  are  more  powerful  than  the 
"  Death  of  the  Duke  of  Guise."  You  will  easily  recall  the 
circumstances  of  his  assassination  :  the  painter  has  so  rep- 
resented it  that  one  really  forgets  that  it  is  a  picture,  and 
can  only  remember  the  horror  of  the  crime.  The  corpse  of 
the  duke  is  on  one  side  of  the  immense  chamber,  near  the 
bed  ;  the  assassins  are  in  a  terrified  group  on  the  other  side, 
and  with  them  the  cowardly  king,  who  was  absolutely  afraid 
of  the  dead  body  of  his  victim.  The  picture  is  a  remark- 
able instance  of  the  power  that  may  be  given  to  what  is 
sometimes  called  historical-genre  art.  This  picture  was 
sold  in  1853  for  ten  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  (Fig.  69). 

Jean  Louis  Gericault  ^1791-1824).  He  was  bom 
at  Rouen,  and  studied  first  under  Guerin  and  then  in  Rome. 
He  was  the  first  master  of  any  power  who  entirely  dismissed 
the  influence  of  the  art  of  David  with  its  marble  flesh  and 
statuesque  effect.  The  one  great  work  by  which  he  is 
known  is  the  "  Wreck  of  the  Medusa,"  which  is  in  the 
Louvre,  and  which  may  be  said  to  mark  the  advent  of  the 
modern  French  school. 

Eugene  Delacroix  (1799- 1863)  was  the  son  of  a  Min- 
ister of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  was  born  to  position  and  wealth. 
But  through  misfortunes  all  this  was  changed,  and  he  was 
forced  to  work   hard   for  his   living.     At  last  he   managed 


THE    MODERN    SCHOOL.  245 

to  Study  under  Guerin,  and  in  the  studio  of  the  master  be- 
came the  friend  of  Gericault.  The  first  work  which  brought 
Delacroix  fame  was  a  picture  of  a  scene  from  Dante's  "  In- 
ferno," in  which  Dante  sees  some  of  his  old  acquaintances 
who  were  condemned  to  float  upon  the  lake  which  surrounds 
the  infernal  city.  This  work  was  exhibited  in  1822,  and 
was  bought  for  the  Gallery  of  the  Luxembourg.  Baron 
Gros  tried  to  be  his  friend  ;  but  Delacroix  wished  to 
follow  his  own  course,  and  for  some  time  had  but  small 
success. 

He  travelled  in  Spain,  Algiers,  and  Morocco,  and  at 
length  was  commissioned  by  Thiers  to  do  some  decorative 
work  in  the  throne-room  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  He 
was  much  criticised,  but  at  length  was  accepted  as  a  great 
artist,  and  was  made  a  member  of  the  Institute  in  1857.  He 
received  another  important  order  for  the  Chamber  of  Peers. 
Some  of  his  works  are  at  Versailles,  and  others  are  seen  in 
various  churches  of  Paris.  WHien  they  are  considered  as  a 
whole  they  are  effective,  but  they  do  not  bear  examination  ; 
his  design  was  free  and  spirited  and  his  color  good,  and  he 
painted  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  was  able  to  vary  the  ex- 
pression of  his  work  to  suit  the  impression  he  wished  to 
produce. 

£mile  Jean  Horace  Vernet  (1789-1863)  was  born  in 
the  Louvre.  He  studied  under  his  father,  Carle  Vernet, 
who  was  the  son  of  Claude  Joseph  Vernet.  Carle  was  a 
witty  man,  and  it  is  said  that  when  he  was  dying  he  ex- 
claimed, "  How  much  I  resemble  the  Grand  Dauphin — son 
of  a  king,  father  of  a  king,  and  never  a  king  myself!  "  In 
spite  of  his  being  less  than  his  father  or  his  son,  he  was  a 
good  painter  of  horses.  When  Horace  Vernet  was  but 
fifteen  years  old  he  supported  himself  by  drawing  ;  he 
studied  with  Vincent,  and  drew  from  living  models.  In 
1 8 14  he  showed  such  bravery  at  the  Barriere  of  Clichy  that 
he  was  decorated  with  the  Cross  of  the  Lecrion  of  Honor  : 


246  PAINTING. 

before  he  died  he  was  a  grand  ofificer  of  the  order  on  ac- 
count of  his  artistic  merits  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Institute  and  Director  of  the  Academy  of  Rome. 

His  best  works  were  executed  in  Rome,  where  he  spent 
seven  years  ;  he  travelled  in  Algiers,  Syria,  Egypt,  Pales- 
tine, Russia,  and  England,  and  was  everywhere  received 
with  the  honors  which  his  genius  merited.  His  works  em- 
braced a  great  variety  of  subjects,  and  it  is  said  that  he  often 
finished  his  picture  the  first  time  he  went  over  it,  and  did 
not  retouch  it.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in  certain  ways  the 
excellence  of  Vernet  has  been  over-estimated,  and  he  has 
been  too  much  praised  ;  but  his  remarkable  memory,  which 
enabled  him  truthfully  to  paint  scenes  he  had  witnessed, 
and  his  facility  of  execution,  are  worthy  of  honorable  men- 
tion. 

When  twenty  years  old  Vernet  was  married,  and  from 
this  time  he  kept  an  expense  account  in  which  all  the  prices 
he  received  for  his  works  are  set  down.  The  smallest  is 
twenty-four  sous  for  a  tulip  ;  the  largest  is  fiftj'  thousand 
francs  for  the  portrait  of  the  Empress  of  Russia. 

About  1 817  Vernet  became  the  favorite  of  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  and  was  therefore  unpopular  with  the  royal  party. 
In  1820  he  had  made  himself  so  displeasing  to  the  king  by 
some  lithographs  which  were  scattered  among  the  people, 
that  it  was  thought  best  for  him  to  leave  Paris.  However, 
he  overcame  all  this,  and  four  years  later  Charles  X.  sat  to 
him  for  his  portrait.  From  this  time  orders  and  money 
flowed  in  from  all  sides. 

The  Vcrncts  had  originated  in  Avignon,  and  in  1826, 
when  the  museum  there  was  opened,  Horace  and  his  father 
were  invited  to  be  present.  Every  honor  was  shown  them  ; 
poems  were  read  in  their  praise  ;  they  were  conducted  to 
the  home  of  their  ancestors,  which  they  piously  saluted,  and 
inscribed  their  names  upon  the  door-posts.  After  they  re- 
turned to  Paris  they  received  rich  gifts  in  return  for  the  pic- 


HORACE    VERNET.  247 

tures  they  had  given  to  Avignon.  The  Gallery  Vernet,  which 
contains  works  by  Antoine,  Francois,  Joseph,  Carle,  and 
Horace  Vernet,  is  regarded  as  a  sacred  place  by  the  people 
of  that  region. 

When  Horace  Vernet  was  Director  of  the  Academy  in 
Rome  he  held  salons  weekly  ;  they  were  very  gay,  and  all 
people  of  distinction  who  lived  in  Rome  or  visited  that  city 
were  seen  at  these  receptions,  dancing  and  amusing  them- 
selves in  the  lively  French  manner.  But  after  1830  he  felt 
that  the  Villa  Medici  was  a  prison.  He  wished  to  follow 
the  French  army  in  the  East,  and  three  years  later  did  go 
to  Algiers.  In  the  same  year  the  king  decided  to  convert 
the  palace  at  Versailles  into  an  historical  museum,  and  from 
this  time  Vernet  had  but  two  ideas,  the  East  and  Versailles. 
Almost  every  work  he  did  was  connected  wuth  these  two 
thoughts. 

Louis  Philippe  now  desired  him  to  paint  four  battle- 
pieces  ;  but  Vernet  objected  that  no  room  was  large  enough 
to  please  him  :  for  this  reason  a  floor  was  removed,  two 
stories  turned  into  one,  and  the  grand  Gallery  of  Battles 
made.  At  length  he  had  a  difficulty  with  the  king  and 
went  to  Russia  ;  but  hearing  that  his  father  was  dying  he 
returned  to  Paris,  and  was  made  welcome  back  to  Versailles, 
where  he  was  really  necessary. 

We  cannot  stay  to  recount  the  honors  which  were 
showered  upon  him,  and  which  he  always  received  with 
great  modesty  of  demeanor.  He  went  from  one  triumph 
to  another  until  1848,  when  the  Revolution  almost  broke  his 
heart ;  he  Avorked  on,  but  his  happiness  was  over.  In  the 
great  Exposition  of  1855  he  had  a  whole  salon  devoted  to 
his  works,  and  men  from  all  the  world  came  to  see  and  to 
praise.  He  lived  still  eight  years  ;  he  made  pictures  of  in- 
cidents in  the  Crimean  War  ;  he  painted  a  portrait  of  Na- 
poleon III.,  but  he  wrote  of  himself:  "When  time  has 
worn  out    a  portion  of  our  faculties    we  are  not  entirely 


248  PAINTING. 

destroyed  ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  know  how  to  leave  the 
first  rank  and  content  one's  self  with  the  fourth." 

His  industry  and  the  amount  of  work  he  did  are  simply 
marvellous.  He  loved  excitement  and  adventure,  and  the 
works  which  have  these  elements  were  his  best — and  he  liked 
best  to  do  them.  His  color  cannot  be  praised  ;  he  had  no 
lofty  intellectual  aims  ;  he  was  clever  to  a  high  degree,  but 
he  was  not  great ;  he  was  one  to  whom  the  happy  medium 
of  praise  should  be  given,  for  he  neither  merits  severity  of 
criticism  nor  immoderate  praise  ;  he  was  simply  a  gifted 
painter  and  "  the  greatest  and  last  of  the  Vernets." 

He  is  also  the  last  French  painter  of  whom  we  shall 
speak,  as  we  do  not  propose  to  take  up  the  excellent  artists 
of  our  own  day,  who  would  require  a  volume  devoted  strictly 
to  themselves. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PAINTING   IN   ENGLAND. 

IN  early  days  in  England  there  were  miniature-painters, 
and  in  the  last  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  there  were 
some  very  important  English  painters  of  this  kind.  Before 
the  days  of  Charles  I.  the  English  kings  were  much  in  the 
habit  of  inviting  foreign  artists  to  England,  and  commis- 
sions were  given  to  them.  The  painters  who  were  most 
prominent  in  England  were  of  the  Flemish  school,  and  even 
under  Charles  I.,  as  we  have  seen,  Rubens  and  Vandyck 
were  the  principal  painters  in  England.  But  in  the  reign  of 
this  king  some  native  artists  made  names  for  themselves, 
and  what  we  call  the  English  school  of  painting  may  really 
be  dated  from  this  time. 

Before  speaking  of  painters  I  must  mention  one  minia- 
turist whose  works  were  in  demand  in  other  countries,  as 
well  as  in  England.  Samuel  Cooper  (1609-1672)  has 
been  called  "  the  Vandyck  in  little,"  and  there  is  far  more 
breadth  in  his  works  than  is  usual  in  miniature.  He 
painted  likenesses  of  many  eminent  persons,  and  his  works 
now  have  an  honorable  place  in  many  collections. 

William  Dobson  (1610-1646)  has  been  mentioned  in 
our  account  of  Vandyck  as  a  painter  whom  the  great  master 
befriended  and  recommended  to  Charles  I.  He  became  a 
good  portrait-painter,  and  after  Vandyck's  death  was  ap- 
pointed sergeant-painter  to  the  king.  His  portraits  are 
full  of  dignity  ;  the  face  shadows  are  dark,  and  his  color  ex- 


Fig.  70. — Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 


SIR    TETER    LELY.  351 

cellent.  He  did  not  excel  in  painting  historical  subjects, 
Vandyck  was  succeeded  at  court  by  two  foreign  artists  who 
are  so  closely  associated  with  England  that  they  are  always 
spoken  of  as  English  artists. 

Peter  van  DER  Faes  (i6i 8-1680),  who  was  born  in 
Westphalia,  is  known  to  us  as  Sir  Peter  Lei.v.  He  be- 
came the  most  celebrated  portrait-painter  after  Vandyck, 
and  his  "  Beauties  at  Hampton  Court  "  are  pictures  which 
are  known  the  world  over.  He  has  been  accused  of  not 
painting  eyes  as  he  ought ;  but  the  ladies  of  his  day  had  an 
affectation  in  the  use  of  their  eyes.  They  tried  to  have  "  the 
sleepy  eye  that  spoke  the  melting  soul,"  so  Sir  Peter  Lely 
was  not  to  blame  for  painting  them  as  these  ladies  wished 
them  to  be.  He  was  knighted  by  Charles  H.,  and  became 
very  rich.  His  portraits  of  men  were  not  equal  to  those  of 
women.  When  Cromwell  gave  him  a  commission  to  paint 
his  portrait,  he  said  :  "  Mr.  Lely,  I  desire  you  will  use  all 
your  skill  to  paint  my  picture  truly  like  me,  and  not  flatter 
me  at  all ;  but  remark  all  these  roughnesses,  pimples,  warts, 
and  everything  as  you  see  me,  otherwise  I  will  never  pay 
you  a  farthing  for  it."  Sir  Peter  Lely  was  buried  in  Co- 
vent  Garden,  where  there  is  a  monument  to  his  memory  with 
a  bust  by  Gibbon. 

Sir  Godfrey  Kneller  (1646- 1723),  bom  at  Lubeck, 
was  a  rival  to  Sir  Peter  Lely,  and  had  the  honor  of  painting 
the  portraits  of  eight  crowned  heads  and  a  very  great  num- 
ber of  other  people  of  importance.  He  had  studied  both 
the  Dutch  and  Italian  manner  ;  for  he  was  the  pupil  of  Rem- 
brandt and  Bol,  of  Carlo  Maratti  and  Bernini.  Some  critics 
praise  his  pictures  very  much,  while  others  point  out  many 
defects  in  them.  He  painted  very  rapidly,  and  he  some- 
times hurried  his  pictures  off  for  the  sake  of  money  ;  but  his 
finished  works  are  worthy  of  remark.  He  especially  ex- 
celled in  painting  hair ;  his  drawing  was  correct ;  some 
of  his    groups    of  children    are    fine    pictures ;    and    some 


2  52  PAINTING. 

madonnas  that  he  painted,  using  his  sitters  as  models,  are 
works  of  merit.  His  monument  was  made  by  Rj'sbrach, 
and  was  placed  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Both  Sir  Peter  Lely  and  Sir  Godfrey  Knellcr  had  pupils 
and  followers  ;  but  there  was  no  original  English  artist 
before  the  time  of  WILLIAM  HOGARTH  (1697-1764),  and  he 
may  really  be  named  as  the  first  master  of  a  purely  English 
school  of  painting.  When  Hogarth  was  fifteen  years  old 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  silversmith,  and  the  grotesque 
designs  which  he  copied  for  armorial  bearings  helped  to 
increase  his  natural  love  for  all  that  was  ridiculous  and 
strange.  After  17 18  he  was  much  occupied  in  engraving 
for  booksellers,  and  at  lengtii  he  began  to  paint  small  gcjirc 
pictures  and  some  portraits,  in  which  he  made  good  success, 
but  he  felt  that  he  was  fitted  for  other  work.  In  1730  he 
married  the  daughter  of  the  artist,  Sir  James  Thornhill, 
without  the  consent  of  her  father. 

Soon  after  this  he  began  his  series  of  pictures  called  the 
"  Harlot's  Progress,"  and  when  Sir  James  saw  them  he  was 
so  satisfied  with  the  talent  of  Hogarth  that  he  declared 
that  such  an  artist  could  support  a  wife  who  had  no  dower, 
and  the  two  painters  were  soon  reconciled  to  each  other. 
Before  1744  Hogarth  had  also  painted  the  scries  of  the 
"  Rake's  Progress  "  and  "  IMarriage  a  la  Mode"  (Fig.  71). 

These  are  all  pictures  which  hold  up  the  customs  of  the 
time  to  ridicule  and  satire,  and  his  works  of  this  kind  are 
almost  numberless.  He  explains  as  follows  the  cause  of  his 
painting  in  this  way  :  "The  reasons  which  induced  me  to 
adopt  this  mode  of  designing  were  that  I  thought  both 
critics  and  painters  had,  in  the  historical  st\'le.  quite  over- 
looked that  intermediate  species  of  subjects  which  may  be 
placed  between  the  sublime  and  the  grotesque.  I  therefore 
wished  to  compose  pictures  on  canvas  similar  to  representa- 
tions on  the  stage  ;  and  further  hope  that  they  will  be  tried 
by  the  same  test  and  criticised  by  the  same  criticism." 


254  TAINTIXG. 

It  was  in  this  sort  of  picture  tiiat  Hogarth  made  himself 
great,  though  he  supported  himself  for  several  years  by 
portrait-painting,  in  which  art  he  holds  a  reputable  place. 
Most  of  his  important  pictures  are  in  public  galleries. 

Hogarth  was  a  fine  engraver,  and  left  many  plates  after 
his  own  works,  which  are  far  better  and  more  spirited  than 
another  artist  could  have  made  them.  The  pictures  of 
Hogarth  have  good  qualities  aside  from  their  peculiar  fea- 
tures. He  made  his  interiors  spacious,  and  the  furniture 
and  all  the  details  were  well  arranged  ;  his  costumes  were 
exact,  as  was  also  the  expression  of  his  faces  ;  his  painting 
was  good,  and  liis  color  excellent.  In  1753  he  published  a 
book  called  the  "  Analysis  of  Beauty." 

Ever  after  his  first  success  his  career  was  a  prosperous 
one.  He  rode  in  his  carriage,  and  was  the  associate  and 
friend  of  men  in  good  positions.  Hogarth  was  buried  in 
Chiswick  Churchyard,  and  on  his  tombstone  arc  these  lines, 
written  by  David  Garrick  : 

"  Farewell,  great  painter  of  mankind  ! 
Who  reach'd  the  noblest  point  of  Art, 
Whose  pictur'd  morals  charm  the  mind, 
And  through  the  eye,  correct  the  heart. 
If  Genius  fire  thee,  reader,  stay  ; 
If  Nature  touch  thee,  drop  a  tear; 
If  neither  move  thee,  turn  away, 
For  Hogarth's  honour'd  dust  lies  here." 

The  next  important  English  painter  was  RlCll.VRl) 
Wilson  (171 3-1782),  and  he  was  important  not  so  much  for 
what  he  painted  as  for  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the 
earliest  landscape-painters  among  English  artists.  He  never 
attained  wealth  or  great  reputation,  although  after  his  return 
from  studying  in  Italy  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Academy. 

We  come   now  to  Sir  JosiiUA  REYNOLDS  (1723-1792), 


SIR   JOSHUA    REYNOLDS.  255 

Avho  was  bora  n.t  Plympton,  in  Devonshire.  His  father  was 
a  clergyman  and  the  master  of  the  grammar  school  at 
Plympton.  Joshua  was  destined  for  the  medical  profession 
by  his  parents  ;  but  his  love  of  drawing  was  so  marked  that, 
as  the  opportunity  offered  for  him  to  go  to  London  and 
study  under  Hudson,  his  father  allowed  him  to  do  so. 
After  \arious  changes,  in  1 749  he  Avas  able  to  go  to  Rome, 
and  remained  in  Italy  three  years  (Fig.  70). 

When  he  returned  to  England  he  soon  attracted  atten- 
tion to  his  pictures,  and  it  was  not  long  before  both  fame 
and  fortune  were  secured  to  him.  His  life  was  a  very  quiet 
one,  with  little  cf  incident  that  can  be  related  here.  His 
sister  kept  his  house  for  him,  and  he  lived  generously,  having 
company  to  dinner  almost  daily.  His  friends  were  among 
the  best  people  of  the  time,  including  such  persons  as  Dr. 
Johnson,  Percy,  Goldsmith,  Garrick,  the  Burkes,  and  many- 
others.  The  day  before  Johnson  died  he  told  Reynolds 
that  he  had  three  requests  to  make  of  him:  that  he  would 
forgive  him  thirty  pounds  which  he  had  lent  him,  would 
read  the  Scriptures  daily,  and  would  not  paint  on  Sunday, 
Sir  Joshua  promised  to  do  these  things,  and  remembered 
his  promise. 

Sir  Joshua  was  skilful  in  compliments.  When  he  painted 
his  famous  picture  of  Mrs.  Siddons  as  the  "  Tragic  Muse  " 
he  put  his  name  on  the  border  of  her  garment.  The  actress 
went  near  the  picture  to  examine  It,  and  \vhen  she  saw  the 
name  she  smiled.  The  artist  said  :  "  I  could  not  lose  the 
opportunity  of  sending  my  name  to  posterity  on  the  hem  of 
}'our  garment." 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds'  fame  rests  upon  his  portraits,  and 
in  these  he  is  almost  imrivalled.  His  pictures  of  children 
are  especially  fine.  It  was  his  custom  to  receive  six  sitters 
daily.  He  kept  a  list  of  those  who  were  sitting  and  of 
others  who  waited  for  an  opportunity  to  have  their  portraits 
made  by  him.      He  also  had  sketches  of  the  different  por- 


Fig.   72.  —  "  Muscii'Ul.A."     By  Reynolds. 


SIR   JOSHUA    REYNOLDS.  25/ 

traits  he  had  painted,  and  when  new-comers  hud  looked 
them  over  and  chosen  the  position  they  wished,  he  sketched 
it  on  canvas  and  then  made  the  hkeness  to  correspond.  In 
this  way,  when  at  his  best,  he  was  able  to  paint  a  portrait 
in  about  four  hours.  His  sitters'  chairs  moved  on  casters, 
and  were  placed  on  a  platform  a  foot  and  a  half  above  the 
floor.  He  worked  standing,  and  used  brushes  with  handles 
eighteen  inches  long,  moving  them  with  great  rapidity. 

In  1768  Sir  Joshua  was  made  the  first  President  of  the 
Royal  Academy,  and  it  Avas  then  that  he  was  knighted  by 
the  king.  He  read  lectures  at  the  Academy  until  1790, 
when  he  took  his  leave.  During  these  years  he  sent  two 
hundred  and  forty-four  pictures  to  the  various  exhibitions. 
In  1782  he  had  a  slight  shock  of  paralysis,  but  was  quite 
well  until  1789,  when  he  feared  that  he  should  be  blind,  and 
from  this  time  he  did  not  paint.  He  was  ill  about  three 
months  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  February,  1792. 
His  remains  were  laid  in  state  at  the  Royal  Academy,  and 
then  buried  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  near  the  tomb  of  Sir 
Christopher  Wren. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  colors  used  by  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds  are  now  much  faded  in  many  of  his  pictures. 
Those  in  the  National  Gallery,  in  London,  are,  however,  in 
good  preservation.  Naturally,  since  so  many  of  his  pictures 
were  portraits  they  are  in  the  collections  of  private  families 
in  England,  and  but  few  of  them  are  seen  in  European  gal- 
leries. There  is  an  excellent  opportunity  to  study  his  man- 
ner in  the  pictures  at  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  where 
there  are  several  portraits,  some  pictures  of  children,  and 
the  "  Graces  Decorating  a  Statue  of  Hymen." 

It  is  very  satisfactory  to  think  of  a  great  artist  as  a 
genial,  happy  man,  who  is  dear  to  his  friends,  and  has  a  full, 
rich  life  outside  of  his  profession.  Such  a  life  had  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  and  one  writer  says  of  him  :  "  They  made 
him  a  knight — this  famous  painter  ;  they  buried  him  '  with 
17 


25S  TAIXTING. 

an  empire's  lamentation  ;  '  but  nothing  honors  him  more 
than  the  '  foHo  Engh'sh  dictionary  of  the  last  revision ' 
which  Johnson  left  to  him  in  his  will,  the  dedication  that 
poor,  loving  Goldsmith  placed  in  the  '  Deserted  Village,' 
and  the  tears  which  five  years  after  his  death  even  Burke 
could  not  forbear  to  shed  over  his  memory." 

Thomas  Gainsborough  (1727-1788)  was  born  in  Sud- 
bury, in  Suffolk,  and  when  still  quite  young  went  to  London, 
and  studied  under  Francis  Hayman,  who  was  not  an 
eminent  painter.  Gainsborough  became  one  of  the  most 
important  masters  of  the  English  school,  especially  in  land- 
scape painting  and  the  representation  of  rustic  figures.  His 
portraits  were  not  as  good  in  color  as  those  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds  ;  they  have  a  bluish-gray  hue  in  the  flesh  tints ; 
but  they  are  always  graceful  and  charming.  His  landscapes 
are  not  like  those  of  any  other  master.  They  are  not  exact 
in  the  detail  of  leaves  and  flowers — a  botanist  could  find 
many  faults  in  them — but  they  are  like  nature  in  spirit :  they 
seem  to  have  the  air  blowing  through  them,  they  are  fresh 
and  dewy  when  it  is  morning  in  them,  and  quiet  and  peace- 
ful when  evening  comes  under  his  brush.  In  many  of  his 
pictures  he  pU't  a  cart  and  a  white  animal. 

His  rustic  figures  have  the  true  country  life  in  them  : 
they  seem  to  have  fed  upon  the  air,  and  warmed  themselves 
in  the  sun  until  they  are  plump  and  rosy  as  country  lads 
and  lasses  should  be.  His  best  genre  jMctures  are  the 
"  Cottage  Girl,"  the  "  Woodman  and  Dog  in  a  Storm,"  the 
"  Cottage  Door,"  and  the  "  Shepherd  Boy  in  a  Shower." 
He  painted  a  picture  of  a  "  Girl  and  Pigs,"  for  which  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds  paid  him  one  hundred  guineas. 

In  character  Gainsborough  was  very  attractive,  though 
somewhat  contradictory  in  his  moods.  He  was  generous 
and  genial,  lovable  and  affectionate  ;  he  was  also  contradic- 
tory and  impulsive,  not  to  say  capricious.  His  wife  and  he 
had  little  quarrels  which  they  settled  in  this  wise  :     When 


JOHN    SINGLETON    COPLEY.  259 

Gainsborough  had  spoken  to  her  unkindly,  he  would  quickly 
repent,  and  write  a  note  to  say  so,  and  address  it  to  his 
wife's  spaniel,  called  "Tristram,"  and  sign  it  with  the  name 
of  his  pet  dog,  "Fox."  Then  Margaret  Gainsborough 
would  answer  :  "  My  own,  dear  Fox,  you  are  always  loving 
and  good,  and  I  am  a  naughty  little  female  ever  to  worry 
you  as  I  too  often  do,  so  we  will  kiss,  and  say  no  more 
about  it;  your  own  affectionate  Tris."  Like  Reynolds, 
Gainsborough  had  many  warm  friends,  and  when  he  died 
Sir  Joshua  himself  watched  by  his  bedside,  and  bent  to  catch 
his  last  word,  which  was  the  name  of  Vandyck. 

John  Singleton  Copley  (1737-1815)  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.,  to  which  place  his  parents  are  said  to 
have  immigrated  from  Limerick,  Ireland.  The  father  was 
descended  from  the  Copleys  of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  the 
mother  from  the  Singletons  of  County  Clare,  both  families 
of  note.  When  young  Copley  was  eleven  years  old  his 
mother  was  married  to  Peter  Pclham,  a  widower  with  three 
sons — Peter,  Charles,  and  William — and  who  subsequently 
became  the  father  of  another  son,  Henry,  by  this  second 
marriage.  Mr.  Pelham  was  a  portrait  painter  and  a  mezzo- 
tint engraver  of  unusual  merit.  One  authority  calls  him 
"  the  founder  of  those  arts  in  New  England."  Mr.  Pelham 
was  also  a  man  of  education,  a  land  surveyor,  and  a  mathe- 
matician. He  was  thus  well  qualified  to  educate,  assist,  and 
stimulate  young  Copley  in  the  pursuit  of  studies  so  natural 
and  congenial  to  him.  He  is  said  to  have  been  studious 
and  quiet,  and  to  have  made  rapid  advances.  When  he 
was  fifteen  years  old  he  painted  a  portrait  of  his  step-brother, 
Charles  Pelham,  now  in  the  family  of  a  great-grandson,  Mr. 
Charles  Pelham  Curtis,  of  Boston.  At  sixteen  he  published 
an  engraving  of  Rev.  William  Welsteed,  from  a  portrait 
painted  by  himself.  The  same  year  he  painted  the  portrait 
of  a  child — afterward  Dr.  de  Mountfort — now  owned  in  De- 
troit.    In  1754  he   painted   an  allegorical  picture  of  Mars, 


26o  PAINTING. 

Venus,  and  Vulcan,  thirty  inches  long  by  twenty-five  wide, 
now  owned  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.  The  next  )'ear  he  painted 
a  miniature  of  George  Washington,  who  was  on  a  visit  to 
Governor  Shirley  at  the  time.  This  picture  now  belongs 
to  the  family  of  the  late  George  P.  Putnam,  of  New  York 
City.  In  1756  he  painted  a  three-quarters  length  portrait 
of  General  William  Brattle,  life  size,  signed  and  dated,  and 
now  owned  by  Mr.  William  S.  Appleton.  He  now  improved 
rapidly.  A  crayon  portrait  of  Miss  Rebecca  Gardiner,  af- 
terward Mrs.  Philip  Dumaresq,  an  oil  painting  of  Mrs.  Ed- 
mund Perkins,  a  portrait  of  Rebecca  Boylston,  afterward 
wife  of  Governor  Gill,  portraits  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Lee, 
grandparents  of  General  William  Raymond  Lee,  all  exist 
and  attest  the  continued  growth  ofhis  powers.  These  date 
between  1763  and  1769.  During  this  time  he  had  access  to 
and  was  a  visitor  in  houses  where  were  portraits  by  Sari- 
best,  Blackburn,  Liopoldt,  and  even  by  Vandyck  and  Sir 
Godfrey  Kneller.  Mr.  Augustus  Thorndike  Perkins,  in  his 
carefully  w^-itten  monograph  on  Copley,  says  that  our  artist 
must  have  seen  all  these  pictures,  since,  as  Dr.  Gardiner 
says,  "  his  genial  disposition  and  his  courtly  manners  make 
him  a  welcome  guest  everywhere."  Mr.  Perkins  remarks 
that  Copley  must  have  studied  with  Blackburn  ;  that  he 
imitated,  but  in  some  respects  surpassed  him.  "  Both  fre- 
quently used,  either  as  the  lining  of  a  dress  or  as  drapery, 
a  certain  shade  of  mauve  pink  ;  Blackburn  uses  this  shade 
feebly,  while  Copley  dashes  it  on  with  the  hand  of  a  mas- 
ter." On  November  16,  1769,  Copley  married  Susan  (or 
Susannah,  as  it  is  sometimes  written),  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
Richard  Clarke,  a  distinguished  merchant  of  Boston,  to 
whom,  as  agent  of  the  East  India  Company  of  London,  was 
consigned  the  tea  thrown  overboard  in  Boston  harbor. 
From  all  accounts  he  soon  began  to  live  in  good  style  ;  and 
as,  in  1771,  Colonel  Trumbull  found  him  living  opposite  the 
Common,  it   is  probable   that   he  purchased   at  about  that 


JOHN   SINGLETON   COPLEY.  261 

time  the  property  which  afterward  became  so  v^aluable,  al- 
though long"  after  Copley  had  ceased  to  be  the  owner.     In 

1773,  says  the  late  eminent  conveyancer,  Nathaniel  Inger- 
soU  Bowditch,  "  Copley  owned  all  the  land  bounded  on  the 
west  by  Charles  River,  thence  by  Beacon  Street  to  Walnut 
Street,  thence  by  Walnut  Street  to  Mt.  Vernon  Street,  thence 
by  Mt.  Vernon  Street  to  Louisburg  Square,  thence  by  Lou- 
isburg  Square  to  Pinckney  Street,  thence  by  Pinckney 
Street  to  the  water,  containing  about  eleven  acres  of  land." 
This  land  is  now  covered  with  handsome  residences,  and  is 
of  great  value.  An  agent  of  Copley's  sold  his  property 
after  he  went  abroad  without  being  authorized  to  do  so,  and, 
although  his  son  came  over  in  1795  to  look  into  the  matter, 
he  was  only  able  to  secure  a  compromise  by  which  a  further 
sum  of  three  thousand  guineas  was  paid  in  final  settlement. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Copley  painted  his  picture  of  a 
"  Boy  with  a  Squirrel,"  which  he  sent  anonymously  to  Ben- 
jamin West,  in  London,  for  exhibition.  West  judged  from 
the  wood  on  which  the  picture  was  stretched  and  from  the 
kind  of  squirrel  that  the  work  was  American,  and  so  excel- 
lent was  the  painting  that  a  rule  of  the  institution  was  set 
aside,  and  the  picture  exhibited.  This  picture  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  Mrs.  James  S.  Amory,  of  Boston,  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  artist.  The  boy  in  the  picture  was  his  half- 
brother  Henry.  The  picture  was  so  favorably  received 
that  Copley  was  advised  to  go  to  England.      He  sailed  in 

1774,  and  never  returned. 

Mr.  Copley,  soon  after  his  arrival  in  London,  passed  over 
to  the  Continent,  and  through  Italy,  studying  in  Parma  and 
in  Rome.  He  visited  Naples  and  Psstum  also.  It  is  said 
that  he  studied  so  diligently  that  he  was  with  difificulty  per- 
suaded to  paint  two  portraits  in  Rome.  In  1775  he  trav- 
elled and  studied  in  Germany,  in  Holland,  and  in  France. 
This  same  year  his  wife  and  family  joined  him  in  England. 
These  consisted  of  his  wife,  his   son,  John  Singleton,  who 


262  PAINTING. 

afterward  became  the  famous  Lord  Chancellor  Lyndhurst  ; 
his  daughter  Elizabeth,  afterward  married  to  a  distinguished 
merchant  in  Boston,  and  who  survived  to  a  great  age  ;  Mary 
Copley,  who  lived  unmarried  to  the  great  age  of  ninety- 
four  ;  and  another  son  who  died  young.  In  1777  he  was 
made  an  Associate  of  the  Royal  Academy,  and  six  years 
later  an  Academician.  He  was  now  in  the  full  tide  of  suc- 
cess. He  was  offered  five  hundred  guineas  to  paint  a  family 
group  of  six  persons.  The  well-known  group  of  Copley's 
family,  called  the  "  Family  Picture,"  the  "  Death  of  Lord 
Chatham,''  and  "  Watson  and  the  Shark,"  were  on  his  easel 
in  1780.  The  picture  of  Lord  Chatham  falling  senseless  in 
the  House  of  Lords  was  commenced  soon  after  his  death  in 
1778.  It  was  engraved  by  Bartolozzi,  and  twenty-five  hun- 
dred copies  were  sold  in  a  few  weeks.  Copley  exhibited 
the  picture,  to  his  own  profit  as  well  as  fame. 

In  1781  occurred  the  death  of  Major  Pierson,  shot  in  the 
moment  of  victory  over  the  French  troops  who  had  invaded 
the  island  of  Jersey.  His  death  was  instantly  avenged  by 
his  black  servant,  and  of  this  scene  Copley  made  one  of  his 
finest  pictures.  He  took  pains,  with  his  usual  honesty,  to  go 
to  St.  Helier's,  and  make  a  drawing  of  the  locality.  The 
picture  is  thoroughly  realistic,  although  painful.  His  large 
picture  of  the  "  Repulse  and  Defeat  of  the  Spanish  Float- 
ing Batteries  at  Gibraltar  "  was  painted  on  commission  from 
the  city  of  London.  It  is  twenty-five  feet  long  by  twenty- 
two  and  a  half  feet  high  ;  but  there  are  so  many  figures  and 
so  much  distance  to  be  shown  in  the  painting  that  the  artist 
really  needed  more  room.  Of  the  commander,  Lord  Heath- 
field,  Sir  Robert  Royd,  Sir  William  Green,  and  some  twelve 
or  fifteen  others,  the  artist  made  careful  portraits. 

The  story  told  by  Elkanah  Watson  shows  Copley's  strong 
sympathy  for  America.  In  1782  Watson  was  in  London,  and 
Copley  made  a  full-length  portrait  of  him,  and  in  his  jour- 
nal Watson  says  :   "  The  painting  was  finished  in  most  ex- 


JOHN   SINGLETON   COPLEY.  263 

quisite  style  in  every  part,  except  the  background,  which 
Copley  and  I  designed  to  represent  a  ship  bearing  to  Amer- 
ica the  acknowledgments  of  our  independence.  The  sun 
was  just  rising  upon  the  stripes  of  the  Union  streaming 
from  her  gaff.  All  was  complete  save  the  flag,  which 
Copley  did  not  deem  proper  to  hoist  under  the  present 
circumstances,  as  his  gallery  was  the  constant  resort  of  the 
royal  family  and  the  nobility.  I  dined  with  the  artist  on 
the  glorious  5th  of  December,  1782.  After  listening  with 
him  to  the  speech  of  the  king  formally  recognizing  the 
United  States  of  America  as  in  the  rank  of  nations,  pre- 
vious to  dinner,  and  immediately  after  our  return  from  the 
House  of  Lords,  he  invited  me  into  his  studio,  and  there, 
with  a  bold  hand,  a  master's  touch,  and,  I  believe,  an  Ameri- 
can heart,  he  attached  to  the  ship  the  stars  and  stripes. 
This  was,  I  imagine,  the  first  American  flag  hoisted  in  Old 
England." 

Copley  purchased,  for  a  London  residence,  the  mansion- 
house  in  George  Street  belonging  to  Lord  Fauconburg. 
It  afterward  became  more  widely  known  as  the  residence 
of  his  son.  Lord  Lyndhurst.  Lord  Mansfield's  residence 
was  near  by,  and  among  the  many  commissions  from  public 
men  was  one  to  paint  his  lordship's  portrait.  Perhaps  one 
of  the  most  interesting  of  all  his  commissions  was  one  to 
paint  the  picture  of  Charles  L  demanding  the  five  obnoxious 
members  from  the  Long  Parliament,  for  which  a  number 
of  gentlemen  in  Boston  paid  one  thousand  five  hundred 
pounds.  It  is  said  that  every  face  in  this  great  picture  was 
taken  from  a  portrait  at  that  time  extant ;  and  Mrs.  Gardiner 
Greene  narrates  that  she  and  her  father  were  driven  in  a 
post-chaise  over  a  considerable  part  of  England,  visiting 
every  house  in  which  there  was  a  picture  of  a  member  of 
the  famous  Parliament,  and  were  always  received  as  honored 
guests.  Copley's  painting  of  the  death  of  Lord  Chatham 
was  much  admired.     So  numerous  were  the  subscriptions 


264  PAINTING. 

for  the  engraving  that  it  is  said  Copley  must  have  received 
nearly,  or  quite,  eleven  thousand  pounds  for  the  picture 
and  the  engraved  copies.  It  was  quite  natural  for  Copley 
to  be  popular  with  New  Englanders  ;  indeed,  almost  every 
Bostonian,  at  one  time,  on  visiting  London,  made  a  point  to 
bring  home  his  portrait  by  Copley,  if  possible.  There  are 
known  to  exist  in  this  country  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
oil-paintings,  thirty-five  crayons,  and  fourteen  miniatures 
by  him.  These  pictures  are  carefully  cherished,  as  are  indeed 
all  memorials  of  this  generous  and  kindly  gentleman.  Al- 
though his  life  was  mostly  passed  in  England,  where  he 
obtained  wealth  and  renown,  yet  in  a  strong  sense  he  could 
be  claimed  for  Boston,  as  it  was  there  he  was  born  ;  it  was 
there  he  received  his  artistic  bias  and  education ;  it  was 
there  he  was  married,  and  had  three  children  born  to  him  ; 
and,  finally,  it  was  there  that  he  acquired  a  fair  amount  of 
fame  and  property  solely  by  his  brush.  It  will  be  worth 
while  for  the  readers  of  this  volume  to  take  pains  to  see 
some  of  the  more  noteworthy  Copleys. 

A  portrait  of  John  Adams,  full  length,  painted  in  Lon- 
don in  1783,  is  now  in  possession  of  Harvard  College.  A 
portrait  of  Samuel  Adams,  three-quarters  length,  spirited 
and  beautiful,  standing  by  a  table,  and  holding  a  paper, 
hangs  in  Faneuil  Hall.  Another  picture  of  Samuel  Adams 
is  in  Harvard  College,  which  also  owns  several  other  Copleys. 
A  portrait  of  James  Allen,  a  man  of  fortune,  a  patriot,  and 
a  scholar,  is  now  owned  by  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society.  The  "  Copley  Family,"  one  of  the  artist's  very 
best  pictures,  is  now  owned  in  Boston  by  Mr.  Amory,  and,  in 
fact,  Mrs.  James  S.  Amory  owns  a  number  of  his  best  works. 

Copley  was  a  man  of  elegance  and  dignity,  fond  of  the 
beautiful,  particular  in  his  dress,  hospitable,  and  a  lover  of 
poetry  and  the  arts.  His  favorite  book  was  said  to  be 
"  Paradise  Lost."  His  last  picture  was  on  the  subject  of 
the  Resurrection. 


BENJAMIN    WEST.  265 

Benjamin  West  (i 738-1 820)  was  born  at  Springfield, 
Pennsylvania,  of  Quaker  parentage.  In  the  various  nar- 
ratives of  his  successful  life  many  stories  are  told  which  ap- 
pear somewhat  fabulous,  and  most  of  which  have  nothino- 
to  do  with  his  subsequent  career.  He  is  said  to  have  made 
a  pen-and-ink  portrait  of  his  little  niece  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  ;  to  have  shaved  the  cat's  tail  for  paint  brushes  ;  to 
have  received  instruction  in  painting  and  archery  from  the 
Indians  ;  to  have  so  far  conquered  the  prejudices  of  his  rel- 
atives and  their  co-religionists  to  his  adoption  of  an  artist's  life 
that  he  was  solemnly  consecrated  to  it  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands  by  the  men,  and  the  simultaneous  kissing  of  the 
women.  His  love  for  art  must  have  been  very  strong,  and 
he  was  finally  indulged,  and  assisted  in  it  by  his  relatives,  so 
that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  established  as  a  portrait- 
painter  in  Philadelphia.  By  the  kindness  of  friends  in  that 
city  and  in  New  York  he  was  enabled  to  go  to  Italy,  where 
he  remained  three  years,  making  friends  and  reputation 
everywhere.  Parma,  Florence,  and  Bologna  elected  him 
a  member  of  their  Academies.  He  was  only  twenty-five 
years  old  when  he  went  to  England,  on  his  way  back  to 
America.  But  he  was  so  well  received  that  he  finally  deter- 
mined to  remain  in  England,  and  a  young  lady  named 
Elizabeth  Shewell,  to  whom  he  had  become  engaged  before 
going  abroad,  was  kind  and  judicious  enough  to  join  him 
in  London,  where  she  became  his  wife,  and  was  his  faithful 
helpmate  for  fifty  years.  In  1766  he  exhibited  his  "  Orestes 
and  Pylades,"  which  on  account  of  its  novelty  and  merit 
produced  a  sensation.  He  painted  "  Agrippina  weeping 
over  the  Urn  of  Germanicus,"  and  by  the  Archbishop  of 
York  was  introduced  to  George  III.  as  its  author.  He  im- 
mediately gained  favor  with  the  king,  and  was  installed  at 
Windsor  as  the  court-painter  with  a  salary  of  one  thousand 
pounds  per  annum.  This  salary  and  position  was  continued 
for  thirty-three  years.     He  painted  a  series  of  subjects  on  a 


266  PAIXTIXG. 

grand  scale  from  the  life  of  Edward  III.  for  St.  George's 
Hall,  and  twenty-eight  scriptural  subjects,  besides  nine 
portrait  pictures  of  the  royal  famil}-.  In  1792,  on  the 
death  of  Reynolds,  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Roj-al 
Academy,  a  position  which,  except  a  brief  interregnum,  he 
held  until  his  death  in  March,  1820.  He  was  greatly 
praised  in  his  day,  and  doubtless  thought  himself  a  great 
artist.  He  painted  a  vast  number  of  portraits  and  quite  a 
number  of  pictures  of  classical  and  historical  subjects.  His 
"  Lear"  is  in  the  Boston  Atheneeum  ;  his  "  Hamlet  and 
Ophelia  "  is  in  the  Longworth  collection  in  Cincinnati  ; 
"  Christ  Healing  the  Sick  "  is  in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  ; 
and  the  "  Rejected  Christ"  is  or  was  owned  by  Mr.  Har- 
rison, of  Philadelphia.  There  are  two  portraits  of  West,  one 
by  Allston  and  one  by  Leslie,  in  the  Boston  Athenaeum, 
and  a  full-length,  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  in  the  Wads- 
worth  Gallery  in  Hartford,  Conn.  One  of  West's  pictures 
did  a  great  deal  for  his  reputation,  although  it  was  quite  a 
departure  from  the  treatment  and  ideas  then  in  vogue  ;  this 
was  the  "  Death  of  General  Wolfe  "  on  the  Plains  of  .Vbra- 
ham.  When  it  was  known  to  artists  and  amateurs  that  his 
purpose  was  to  depict  the  scene  as  it  really  might  have  hap- 
pened he  was  greatly  ridiculed.  Even  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 
expressed  an  opinion  against  it ;  but  when  he  saw  the  pic- 
ture he  owned  that  West  was  right.  Hitherto  no  one  had 
painted  a  scene  from  contemporary  history  with  figures 
dressed  in  the  costume  of  the  day.  But  West  depicted  each 
officer  and  soldier  in  his  uniform,  and  gave  every  man  his  pig- 
tail who  wore  one.  The  picture  is  spirited  and  w^ell  grouped. 
West  was  just  such  a  practical,  thoughtful,  and  kindly  man 
as  we  might  expect  from  his  ancestry  and  surroundings. 

George  Romnev  (1734- 1802),  born  in  Beckside,  near 
Dalton,  in  Cumberland.  He  married  when  he  was  twenty- 
two,  and  in  his  twenty  seventh  year  went  to  Lontlon  with 
only  thirty  pounds  in  his  pocket,  leaving  his  wife  with  sc\- 


GEORGt:    ROMNKY.  26/ 

enty  pounds  and  two  young  children.  He  returned  home 
to  die  in  1799,  and  in  the  meantime  saw  his  wife  but  twice. 
The  year  after  his  arrival  in  London  he  carried  off  the  fifty- 
guinea  prize  on  the  subject  of  the  "  Death  of  Wolfe  "  from 
the  Society  of  Arts.  Through  the  influence  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds  this  was  reconsidered,  and  the  fifty-guinea  prize 
was  awarded  to  Mortimer  for  his  "  Edward  the  Confessor," 
while  Romney  was  put  off  with  a  gratuity  of  twenty-five 
guineas.  This  produced  a  feud  between  the  two  artists. 
Romney  showed  his  resentment  by  exhibiting  in  a  house 
in  Spring  Gardens,  and  never  sending  a  picture  to  the 
Academy,  while  Reynolds  would  not  so  much  as  mention 
his  name,  but  spoke  of  him  as  "  the  man  in  Cavendish 
Square."  This  was  after  his  return  from  the  Continent ; 
but  before  going  to  Italy  he  was  distinctly  the  rival  of  Sir 
Joshua,  so  much  so  that  there  were  two  factions,  and  Rom- 
ney's  studio,  in  Great  Newport  Street,  was  crowded  with 
sitters,  among  whom  was  the  famous  Lord  Chancellor 
Thurlow,  whose  full-length  portrait  is  the  pride  of  its 
possessor.  At  this  time  he  was  making  about  twelve  hun- 
dred pounds  a  year,  a  very  good  income  for  those  days. 
In  1773  he  went  to  Rome  with  a  letter  to  the  Pope  from 
the  Duke  of  Richmond.  His  diary,  which  he  kept  for  a 
friend,  shows  how  conscientious  and  close  was  his  observa- 
tion and  how  great  his  zeal.  He  made  a  copy  of  the  "Trans- 
figuration," for  which  he  refused  one  hundred  guineas,  and 
which  finally  sold  for  six  guineas  after  his  death.  On  his 
return  to  London  in  1775  ^^^  took  the  house  in  Cavendish 
Square,  where  he  had  great  success.  He  painted  a  series 
of  portraits  of  the  Gower  family,  the  largest  being  a  group 
of  children  dancing,  which  Allan  Cunningham  commended 
as  being  "  masterly  and  graceful."  Some  of  his  portraits 
have  a  charm  beyond  his  rivals.  He  painted  portraits  of 
Lady  Hamilton,  the  friend  of  Lord  Nelson — "  the  maid  of 
all   work,   model,   mistress,    ambassadress,   and  pauper  " — • 


268  PAINTING. 

scores  of  times,  and  in  difterent  attitudes  and  a  variety  of 
characters,  as  Hebe,  a  Bacchante,  a  Sibyl,  as  Joan  of  Arc, 
as  "  Sensibility,"  as  a  St.  Cecilia,  as  Cassandra,  as  Iphige- 
nia,  as  Constance,  as  Calypso,  as  Circe,  and  as  Mary  Mag- 
dalen, and  in  some  of  these  characters  many  times.  He 
often  worked  thirteen  hours  a  day,  and  did  his  fancy 
sketches  when  sitters  disappointed  him.  He  would  paint  a 
portrait  of  a  gentleman  in  four  sittings.  He  was  extremely 
fond  of  portraying  Shakespeare's  characters,  and  contributed 
to  the  Shakespeare  Gallery  formed  by  Alderman  Boydell. 
He  went  to  Paris  in  1790,  where  Lord  and  Lady  Gower  in- 
troduced him  to  Louis  Philippe,  and  through  him  to  all  the 
art  treasures  of  the  French  capital.  On  his  return  to  Lon- 
don he  formed  a  plan  of  an  art  museum,  to  be  furnished 
with  casts  of  the  finest  statues  in  Rome,  and  spent  a  good 
deal  of  money  in  the  erection  of  a  large  building  for  the 
purpose.  His  powers  as  an  artist  gradually  waned.  He 
left  his  Cavendish  Square  residence  in  1797,  and  in  1799 
returned  to  his  family  and  home  at  Kendall.  From  this 
time  to  the  close  of  his  life  in  1802  he  was  a  mere  wreck, 
and  his  artist  life  was  over. 

George  Mokland  (1763-1804)  was  born  in  London,  and 
the  son  of  an  artist.  His  father  was  unsuccessful,  and  poor 
George  was  articled  to  his  father,  after  the  English  fashion, 
and  was  kept  close  at  home  and  at  work.  It  is  said  that 
his  father  stimulated  him  with  rich  food  and  drink  to  coax 
him  to  work.  He  was  very  precocious,  and  really  had  un- 
usual talents.  His  subjects  were  those  of  rustic  life,  and  his 
pictures  contain  animals  wonderfully  well  painted,  but  his 
pigs  surpass  all.  His  character  was  pitiful  ;  he  was  simply, 
at  his  best,  a  mere  machine  to  make  pictures.  As  for 
goodness,  truth,  or  nobleness  of  any  sort,  there  is  not  a 
syllable  recorded  in  his  favor.  Strange  to  sa\-.  the  pictures 
of  his  best  time  are  masterpieces  in  their  wa}',  and  have 
been  sold  at  large  prices. 


SIR   THOMAS    LAWRENCE.  269 

Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  (1769-1830;,  born  at  Bristol, 
England,  in  the  White  Hart  Inn,  of  which  his  father  was 
landlord.  He  was  wonderfully  precocious,  and  as  a  child 
of  five  years  would  recite  odes,  and  declaim  passages  from 
Milton  and  Shakespeare.  Even  at  this  early  period  he  made 
chalk  or  pencil  portraits,  and  at  nine  he  finally  decided  to 
become  a  painter  from  having  seen  a  picture  by  Rubens. 
At  this  period  he  made  a  colored  chalk  portrait  of  the  beau- 
tiful Georgiana,  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  which  still  hangs 
in  Chiswick  House,  in  the  room  in  which  Charles  Fox 
died.  His  father  was  the  son  of  a  clergyman,  and  was  bred  a 
lawyer,  but  had  never  prospered  ;  still  his  culture  and  edu- 
cation gave  a  certain  zest  and  tone  to  the  mind  of  young 
Lawrence,  and  made  him,  with  his  elegant  figure  and  hand- 
some f  ce,  the  successful  courtier  that  he  afterward  became. 
He  worked  hard,  with  considerable  success,  and  with  but 
little  instruction  until,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  went  to  Lon- 
don for  the  first  time.  At  that  period  he  was  described  as 
being  extremely  handsome  in  person,  with  fine,  regular 
features,  brilliant  eyes,  and  long,  chestnut-colored  hair  falling 
to  his  shoulders.  He  lodged  close  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 
— then  near  the  end  of  his  career,  and  from  him  received 
much  valuable  advice.  During  Lawrence's  first  years  in 
London  he  attempted  pictures  illustrating  classic  art,  but 
without  much  success.  Indeed  he  was  never  successful  in 
large,  imaginative  pictures,  and  during  most  of  his  career 
of  more  than  forty  years,  confined  himself  to  portraits.  The 
time  was  propitious  for  him  :  Gainsborough  was  dead  ;  Rey- 
nolds was  almost  blind,  and  had  given  up  painting;  and 
Romney  had  no  hold  on  the  court  and  the  leaders  of  fashion. 
Lawrence  raised  his  prices,  and  had  all  he  could  do.  He 
adopted  a  more  expensive  style  of  dress,  and  in  fact  lived 
so  extravagantly  that  he  never  arrived  at  what  may  be  called 
easy  circumstances — his  open-handed  generosity  contributed 
to   this   result.      He   early   received   commissions  from  the 


270  PAIXTIXG. 

royal  family.  In  1791  he  was  elected  an  ^Yssociate..  and  in 
1794  an  Academician.  The  next  year  George  III.  appointed 
him  painter  in  ordinary  to  his  Majesty.  He  was  thus  fairly 
launched  on  a  career  that  promised  the  highest  success.  In 
a  certain  sense  he  had  it,  but  largely  in  a  Hmited  sense.  He 
painted  the  portraits  of  people  as  he  saw  them  ;  but  he 
never  looked  behind  the  costume  and  the  artificial  society 
manner.  He  reproduced  the  pyramidicalU'  shaped  coats 
and  collars,  the  overlapping  waistcoats  of  different  colors, 
the  Hessian  boots,  and  the  velvet  coats,  adorned  with  furs 
and  frogs,  of  the  fine  gentlemen  ;  and  the  turbans  with  birds- 
of-Paradisc  feathers,  the  gowns  without  waists,  the  bare 
arms  and  long  gloves,  the  short  leg-of-mutton  sleeves,  and 
other  monstrosities  of  the  ladies.  And  for  thirty  }-ears  his 
sitters  were  attired  in  red,  or  green,  or  blue,  or  purple.  He 
absolutely  revelled  in  the  ugliness  of  fashion.  Occasionally 
Lawrence  did  some  very  good  things,  as  when  he  painted 
the  Irish  orator  and  patriot,  Curran,  in  one  sitting,  in  which, 
according  to  Williams,  "  he  finished  the  most  extraordinary 
likeness  of  the  most  extraordinary  face  within  the  memory 
of  man."  He  always  painted  standing,  and  often  kept  his 
sitters  for  three  hours  at  a  stretch,  and  sometimes  required 
as  many  as  nine  sittings.  On  one  occasion  he  is  said  to 
have  worked  all  through  one  day,  through  that  night,  the 
next  day,  and  through  all  the  night  following  !  By  com- 
mand of  the  prince  regent  he  painted  ♦;hc  allied  so\-creigns, 
their  statesmen,  princes,  and  generals — all  the  leading  ])er- 
sonages,  in  fact,  in  alliance  against  Napoleon.  His  pictures 
in  the  exhibition  of  iSi  5  were  Mrs.  Wolfe,  the  Prince  Regent, 
Metternich,  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Blucher,  the  Hetman 
Platoff,  and  Mr.  Hart  Davis.  During  the  Congress  that 
met  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  1818,  Lawrence  was  commissioned 
by  the  Prince  Regent  to  paint  its  principal  heads  for  an 
especial  gallery.  He  thus  had  for  sitters  nearly  all  the  lead- 
ing statesmen  of  luirope.    r^-om  Ai.x-la  Chapelle  he  went  to 


J.    M.    \V.    TURNER.  27 1 

Vienna,  and  thence  to  Rome  in  1819,  where  among  others 
he  painted  likenesses  of  the  Pope,  of  Cardinal  Gonsalvi, 
and  of  Canova.  Of  the  latter,  Canova  cried  out,  "  Per 
Baccho,  che  nomo  c  questo  !  "  It  was  considered  a  mar- 
vellous likeness  ;  and  without  violating  good  taste  he  worked 
into  the  picture  crimson  velvet  and  damask,  gold,  precious 
marble,  and  fur,  with  a  most  brilliant  effect.  Before  reach- 
ing home  in  London  he  was  elected  President  of  the  Royal 
Academy.  At  this  time  he  had  been  elected  a  member  of 
the  Roman  Academy  of  St.  Luke's,  of  the  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts  in  Florence,  and  of  the  Fine  Arts  in  New  York.  He 
continued  to  improve  as  a  painter,  and  between  1825  and  the 
}-ear  of  his  death,  painted  and  exhibited  some  of  his  finest 
works.  He  usually  exhibited  eight  pictures  each  year,  and 
although  without  a  rival,  gave  evidence  of  anxious  care  to 
sustain  his  reputation.  He  was  especially  successful  with 
children,  and  many  of  these  pictures — as  well  as  of  celebri- 
ties— were  engraved,  and  have  thus  become  known  all  over 
the  world.  Of  his  eight  pictures  exhibited  in  1829 — the  last 
he  ever  contributed — Williams  says:  "It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  a  more  undeviating  excellence,  an  infallible  accuracy 
of  likeness,  with  an  elevation  of  art  below  v/hich  it  seemed 
impossible  for  him  to  descend."  Lawrence  died  on  the 
morning  of  the  7th  of  January,  1830,  with  but  little  warning, 
from  ossification  of  the  heart ;  he  was  buried  with  much 
pomp  and  honor  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  by  the  side  of  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds. 

Joseph  M.  W.  Turner,  R.A.  (1775-185 i).— It  is  be- 
lieved, by  those  who  have  investigated  the  question  most 
carefully,  that  this  eminent  artist  and  most  remarkable  man 
was  born  in  Maiden  Lane,  London,  April  3,  I775i  al- 
though the  artist  himself  has  stated  that  he  w^as  born  in 
Devonshire,  April  23,  1769.  Turner's  father,  William 
Turner,  was  a  native  of  Devonshire,  but  came  to  London 
while  young,  and  did  a  fair  business  in  the  Covent  Gar- 


Fig.  73.— Portrait  ok  Turner. 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  2/3 

den  district  as  a  hair-dresscr,  Avig-maker,*and  in  shaving 
people.  The  father  was  garrulous,  like  the  traditional  hair- 
dresser, with  a  pleasant  laugh,  and  a  fresh,  smiling  face. 
He  had  a  parrot  nose  and  a  projecting  chin.  Turner's 
mother  was  a  Miss  Mallord  (or  Marshall),  of  good  family, 
but  a  violent-tempered  woman,  with  a  hawk  nose  and  a 
fierce  visage.  Her  life  ended  in  a  lunatic  asylum.  The 
artist,  who  was  always  impatient  of  inquiry  into  his  domes- 
tic matters,  resented  any  allusion  to  his  mother,  and  never 
spoke  of  her.  The  manifest  peculiarities  of  his  parents  had 
an  impression  upon  Turner,  and  would  have  made  him  ec- 
centric had  there  been  no  other  influences  of  a  kindred  na- 
ture. The  parents  were  under-sized,  and  of  limited  mental 
range  ;  they  were  of  very  little  personal  assistance  to  their 
gifted  son,  although  the  father  in  later  years  busied  him- 
self in  mixing  colors,  adjusting  pictures  to  frames,  and 
sometimes  he  was  entrusted  with  certain  rough  work  at  fill- 
ing in  backgrounds.  When  Turner  was  but  five  years  old 
he  is  said  to  have  made,  from  memory,  a  fair  copy  of  a 
lion  rampant  engraved  on  a  silver  salver,  which  he  had  seen 
while  accompanying  his  father  to  the  house  of  a  customer. 
Presently  the  boy  began  to  copy  pictures  in  water-colors, 
and  then  to  make  sketches  from  nature  of  scenes  along  the 
river  Thames.  In  his  ninth  year  he  drew  a  picture  of  Mar- 
gate Church.  When  he  was  ten  years  old  he  was  sent  to 
school  at  Brentford-Butts,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
boarding  with  his  uncle,  the  local  butcher.  His  leisure 
hours  were  spent  in  dreamy  wanderings  and  in  making 
countless  sketches  of  birds,  trees,  flowers,  and  domestic 
fowls.  He  acquired  a  smattering  of  the  classics  and  some 
knowledge  of  legends  and  ancient  history.  On  his  return 
to  London  he  received  instruction  from  Palice  in  painting 
flowers,  and,  after  a  year  or  two,  was  sent  to  Margate,  in 
Kent,  to  Coleman's  school.  Here  he  had  more  scope  and 
a  wider  range,  and  made  pictures  of  the  sea,  the  chalk  clifls, 
18 


274  PAINTING. 

the  undulations  of  the  coast,  and  the  glorious  effects  of  cloud 
scenery.  On  his  return  from  Margate  he  began  to  earn 
money  by  coloring  engravings  and  by  painting  skies  in  ama- 
teurs' drawings  and  in  architects'  plans  at  half  a  crown  an 
evening.  He  always  deemed  this  good  practice,  as  he  thus 
acquired  facility  and  skill  in  gradations.  His  father  at  one 
time  thought  to  make  an  architect  of  him,  and  sent  him  to 
Tom  Malton  to  study  perspective.  But  he  failed  in  the 
exact  branch  of  the  profession,  and  neither  with  Malton  nor 
with  the  architect  Hardwick  did  he  give  satisfaction. 
While  with  Hardwick  he  drew  careful  sketches  of  old 
houses  and  churches,  and  this  practice  must  have  been  of 
much  use  to  him  in  after-life.  His  father  finally  sent  him 
to  the  Royal  Academy,  where  he  studied  hard,  drawing  from 
Greek  models  and  the  formal  classic  architecture.  About 
this  time  he  was  employed,  at  half  a  crown  an  evening, 
with  supper  thrown  in,  to  make  copies  of  pictures  b)'  Dr. 
Munro,  of  Adelphi  Terrace.  Munro  was  one  of  the  phy- 
sicians employed  in  the  care  of  George  HI.  when  he  had  a 
crazy  spell,  and  owned  many  valuable  pictures  by  Salvator- 
Rosa,  Rembrandt,  Snyder,  Gainsborough,  Hearne,  Cozens, 
and  others.  He  had  also  portfolios  full  of  drawings  of  cas- 
tles and  cathedrals,  and  of  Swiss  and  Italian  scenery,  and 
'of  sketches  by  Claude  and  Titian.  Turner  was  also  em- 
ployed to  sketch  from  nature  in  all  directions  about  Lon- 
don. In  these  tasks  he  had  for  a  constant  companion 
"  Honest  Tom  Girtin,"  a  young  fellow  of  Turner's  own 
age,  who  afterward  married  a  wealthy  lady,  had  rich  pa- 
trons, and  died  before  he  was  thirty.  Had  he  lived  to  ma- 
ture years,  Girtin  would  have  been  a  powerful  rival  to 
Turner.  They  were  most  excellent  friends,  and  when  Gir- 
tin died  in  Rome,  Turner  was  one  of  his  most  sincere 
mourners.  Toward  the  close  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds'  life. 
Turner  frequented  his  studio,  copied  pictures,  and  acquired 
some  art  secrets.     He  began  to  teach  water-color  drawing  in 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  275 

schools,  ^vhile  still  a  boy,  at  from  a  crown  to  a  guinea  a 
lesson.  He  made  hundreds  of  sketches  in  a  part  of  London 
now  built  over  compactly  with  houses  in  streets  and  squares, 
but  then  picturesque  in  hills  and  dells,  in  wooded  fields  and 
green  lanes.  With  all  his  baggage  tied  in  a  handkerchief 
on  the  end  of  his  -walking-stick,  he  made  a  sketching  tour 
through  the  towns  of  Rochester,  Canterbury,  Margate,  and 
others,  in  Kent,  in  1793,  and  about  this  time  began  to  paint 
in  oil.  His  first  contribution  to  the  Royal  Academy  was  a 
water-color  sketch  in  1790.  Within  the  next  ten  years  he 
exhibited  over  sixty  pictures  of  castles,  cathedrals,  and 
landscapes.  All  through  his  life  he  made  sketches.  Wher- 
ever he  was,  if  he  saw  a  fine  or  an  unusual  effect,  he  treas- 
ured it  up  for  use.  lie  sketched  on  any  bit  of  paper,  or 
even  on  his  thumb-nail,  if  he  had  nothing  better.  Nothing 
escaped  his  attention,  whether  of  earth,  or  sea,  or  sky. 
Probably  no  artist  that  ever  lived  gax^e  nature  such  care- 
ful and  profound  stud}-.  His  studies  of  cloud  scenery 
were  almost  a  revelation  to  mankind.  In  all  this  Turner 
drew  his  instruction  as  well  as  his  inspiration  from  nature. 
The  critics  did  nothing  for  him ;  he  rather  opened  the 
eyes  of  even  such  men  as  Ruskin  to  the  wonders  of  the 
natural  world.  But  these  results  all  came  later,  and  were 
the  fruit  of  and  resulted  from  his  constant  and  incessant 
studies. 

In  1794  and  1795  he  made  elaborate  drawings  of  Ro- 
chester, Chepstow,  Birmingham,  Worcester,  Guildford, 
Cambridge,  and  other  towns,  for  magazines.  In  1796  he 
did  the  same  for  Chester,  Bristol,  Leith,  Peterborough,  and 
Windsor.  Within  the  next  four  years  he  completed  the 
circuit  of  twenty-six  counties  in  England  and  Wales,  and  he 
also  exhibited  twenty-three  highly  finished  drawings  of 
cathedrals  and  churches.  He  was  slow  to  undertake  oil- 
painting,  preferring  the  more  rapid  touch  and  the  light-and- 
shade  effect  of  the  crayon,  or  the  delicate  and    beautiful 


Fig.   74.— Nantes.     By   Turner. 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  27/ 

effects  of  water-colors.  He  was  always  greater  as  a  paintet 
in  water-colors  than  in  oils,  and  it  is  claimed  by  Redgrave 
that  "  the  art  all  but  began  with  him,"  and  that  his  water- 
color  paintings  "  epitomize  the  whole  mystery  of  landscape 
art."  Some  of  his  paintings  in  this  line  have  been  sold  at 
enormous  prices,  and  even  in  his  own  day  his  water-color  pic- 
ture of  Tivoli  sold  for  eighteen  hundred  guineas.  Turner  be- 
came as  fond  of  Northern  Yorkshire — which  he  first  visited  in 
1/97 — '"13  he  was  of  Southern  Kent.  He  found  there  a 
great  variety  of  scenery,  from  the  sweet  and  peaceful  to  the 
ennobling  and  grand.  He  visited  and  made  studies  from 
all  the  old  cathedrals,  castles,  and  abbeys,  and  in  1798  he 
exhibited  pictures  of  Fountain  and  Kirkstall  Abbeys,  Holy 
Island  Cathedral,  Buttermere  Lake,  Dunstanborough  Castle, 
as  well  as  "  Morning  Among  the  Corriston  Fells."  He  found 
in  Yorkshire  also  some  of  his  warmest  friends  and  most 
munificent  patrons,  notably  Mr.  Hawkesworth  Fawkes,  of 
Farnley  Hall,  whose  house  was  adorned  with  fifty  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  Turner's  pictures.  Some  additions  to 
Farnley  Hall  were  designed  by  Turner,  and  he  was  always  a 
welcome  visitor.  Here  he  sketched,  and  at  intervals  enjoyed 
himself  greatly  in  hunting  and  fishing.  It  is  said  that  the 
Farnley  portfolios  still  contain  sketches  not  only  of  the  hall 
and  its  precincts,  but  of  coast  scenes,  Swiss  views,  drawings 
of  birds,  illustrations  of  the  Civil  War,  and,  more  especially, 
of  fifty-three  remarkable  drawings  of  the  Rhineland  regions, 
done  at  the  rate  of  three  a  day  ;  these  last  were  offered  by 
Turner  to  Mr.  Fawkes  on  his  return  from  the  Continent  for 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds,  and  the  bargain  was  closed 
at  once.  When  Mr.  Fawkes  visited  London  he  spent  hours 
in  Turner's  private  gallery,  but  was  never  shown  into  the 
painting-room.  Indeed,  very  few  persons  were  ever  al- 
lowed there.  Once,  when  Turner  dined  at  a  hotel  with  Mr. 
Fawkes,  the  artist  took  too  much  wine,  and  reeled  about, 
exclaiming,  "  Hawkey,  I  am  the  real  lion — I  am  the  great 


2/8  PAINTING. 

lion  of  the  day,  Hawkey."  Wlien  Mr.  Fawkes  died,  ended 
Turner's  visits  to  Farnley.  He  never  went  there  again,  but 
when  the  younger  Fawkes  brought  the  Rhine  drawings 
up  to  London  for  him  to  see  again,  he  passed  his  hand 
over  the  "  Lorelei  Twilight,"  saying,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
"But  Hawkey!  but  Hawkey!"  When  Mr.  Wells,  an 
artist  of  Addiscomb,  died  he  mourned  his  loss  bitterly, 
and  exclaimed  to  his  daughter:  "  Oh,  Clara,  Clara,  these 
are  iron  tears  !  I  have  lost  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in 
my  life  !  "  In  this  family  all  the  children  loved  him.  He 
would  lie  on  the  floor,  and  play  with  them,  and  the  oldest 
daughter  afterward  said:  "  Of  all  the  light  hearted,  merry 
creatures  I  ever  knew.  Turner  was  the  most  so."  But  in 
1797  Turner  had  a  bitter  disappointment  which  warped 
and  distorted  all  his  after-life.  A  young  lady  to  whom  he 
had  become  attached  while  a  schoolboy  at  Margate,  was 
engaged  to  be  married  to  him.  He  had  been  absent  for 
two  years  on  sketching  tours,  and  the  step-mother  of  the 
young  lady  had  intercepted  and  destroyed  his  letters,  so 
that  at  last  she  believed  the  representations  made  that 
Turner  had  deserted  her.  She  became  engaged  to  another, 
and  was  about  to  be  married,  when  Turner  appeared,  and 
pleaded  passionately  that  she  would  return  to  him.  She 
thought  that  she  had  been  trifled  with,  and  held  by  her  re- 
fusal, and  did  not  find  out  the  wrongs  done  by  the  step- 
mother until  it  was  too  late.  This  disappointment  led  to 
greater  self- concentration  and  stingy  money-getting  until  it 
became  the  absorbing  passion  of  his  life,  so  that  the  artist 
passion  was  dominated  by  it. 

It  would  take  up  too  large  a  portion  of  this  book  to  de- 
scribe even  briefly  Turner's  travels  and  works.  Only  a 
bare  outline  can  be  given.  In  1800  he  became  an  Associate 
of  the  Royal  Academy.  He  moved  into  a  more  com- 
modious house  at  64  Harley  Street.  During  this  year  he 
exhibited    pictures   of  Caernarvon  Castle    and   the  "  Fifth 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  2/9 

Plague  of  Egypt  ;  "  also  fine  views  of  Fonthill  Abbey,  the 
new  palace  of  Beckford,  with  whom  he  spent  much  time.  The 
only  portrait  for  which  Turner  ever  sat  was  painted  in  1800 
by  George  Dance.  It  shows  a  handsome  young  man,  with 
a  full  but  receding  forehead,  arched  eyebrows,  a  prominent 
nose,  a  massive  chin,  and  a  sensual  mouth.  His  thick  and 
wiry  hair  is  tied  behind,  and  he  wears  a  coat  with  an  im- 
mense cape.  By  this  time  full-bottomed  wigs  had  gone  out 
of  fashion,  and  the  old  barber  abandoned  his  business  to  go 
and  live  with  his  artist  son.  In  1801  Turner  exhibited  pic- 
tures of  St.  Donat's  Castle  and  Pembroke  Castle  in  Wales, 
the  Salisbury  Chapter-house,  an  autumn  morning  in  Lon- 
don, the  destruction  of  the  Median  army,  and  Dutch  fish- 
ing-boats in  a  gale.  He  had  begun  his  contest  with  Claude 
by  painting  pictures  of  classical  subjects  in  Claude's  man- 
ner. Turner  was  elected  Royal  Academician  in  1802,  and 
exhibited  several  notable  oil-paintings,  signed  with  all  his 
initials,  which  he  thenceforth  used.  The  Academy  had 
been  quick  to  recognize  Turner's  genius,  and  he  was  al- 
ways its  faithful,  conservative,  and  zealous  friend.  As  ap 
auditor,  councillor,  or  a  visitor  he  was  scrupulous,  and  he  at 
tended  general  meetings  and  formal  dinners  with  the  sam« 
promptitude  and  certainty  with  which  for  forty-five  yean 
he  sent  his  pictures  to  the  annual  exhibitions.  He  was  a 
peacemaker  in  debates,  but  in  business  he  was  irresolute, 
In  1802  he  visited  the  Continent  for  the  first  time,  travel 
ling  in  France,  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  and  everywhere 
making  sketches.  At  this  time  he  carried  sketch-books  in 
which  he  jotted  everything — all  manner  of  drawings  and  out- 
lines of  nature  and  architecture,  notes  of  local  gossip, 
chemical  memoranda,  notes  of  expenses,  tavern  bills,  views 
of  coasts  and  cities,  ruins,  castles,  manufacturing  works,  and 
detached  figures.  One  book  gives  views  about  the  Simplon 
Pass,  another  the  sea-coast  from  Nice  to  Genoa,  another 
contains  countless  jottings  from  the  pictures  in  the  Vatican, 


280  PAINTING. 

another  is  taken  up  with  views  in  Paris  and  Rouen,  and 
several  are  devoted  to  Scottish  scenery. 

In  1806  Turner  began  his  Liber  Studiorum,  in  rivalship 
of  Claude's  Libc}-  Veritatis  ;  it  was  issued  in  parts  in  dark 
blue  covers,  each  part  containing  five  plates.  It  was  discon- 
tinued in  1814,  after  seventy  plates  had  been  issued.  Al- 
though not  remunerative  at  the  time,  in  later  days  as  high 
as  three  thousand  pounds  has  been  paid  for  a  single  copy  of 
the  Liber,  while  the  subscription  price  was  only  seventeen 
pounds  ten  shillings  ;  even  before  Turner  died  a  copy  of 
it  was  worth  over  thirty  guineas.  Charles  Turner,  the  en- 
graver, used  the  proofs  for  kindling-paper  ;  but  some  years 
later  Colnaghi,  the  print  dealer,  paid  him  fifteen  hundred 
pounds  for  his  remaining  "  rubbish,"  as  he  considered  it. 
"  Good  God  !  "  cried  the  old  engraver;  "  I  have  been  burn- 
ing bank-notes  all  my  life  !  "  In  1878  Professor  Norton,  of 
Harvard  University,  published  a  set  of  thirty-three  of  the 
best  of  the  Liber  studies,  reproduced  in  Boston  by  the  heli- 
otype  process.  The  Liber  Studiorum  was  intended  to  mani- 
fest Turner's  command  of  the  whole  compass  of  the  landscape 
art,  and  was  divided  into  six  heads  :  historical,  pastoral, 
elegant  pastoral,  mountain,  marine,  and  architectural. 

In  1808  Turner  was  appointed  Professor  of  Perspective 
in  the  Royal  Academy.  During  two  or  three  years  only, 
out  of  the  thirty  in  which  he  held  the  professorship,  did  he 
deliver  lectures.  He  spoke  in  a  deep  and  mumbling  voice, 
was  confused  and  tedious  in  manner,  and  frequently  be- 
came hopelessly  entangled  in  blind  mazes  of  obscure  words. 
Sometimes  when  he  had  written  out  his  lectures  he  was  un- 
able to  read  them.  Once,  after  fumbling  in  his  pockets,  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  Gentlemen,  I've  been  and  left  my  lecture  in  the 
hackney-coach."  Still  he  was  interested  in  this  work,  and 
Ruskin  says  :  "The  zealous  care  with  which  Turner  endea- 
vored to  do  his  duty  is  proved  by  a  large  existing  series  of 
drawings,  exquisitely  tinted,  and  often  completely  colored, 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  281 

all  by  his  own  hand,  of  the  most  difficult  perspective  sub- 
jects— illustrating  not  only  directions  of  light,  but  effects 
of  hght,  with  a  care  and  completion  which  would  put  the 
work  of  any  ordinary  teacher  to  utter  shame."  During 
this  year  he  took  a  house  at  Hammersmith,  Upper  Mall, 
the  earden  of  which  ran  down  to  the  Thames,  but  still  re- 
tained  his  residence  in  Harley  Street.  In  18 12  he  first  oc- 
cupied the  house  No.  47  Queen  Anne  Street,  and  this  house 
he  retained  for  forty  years.  It  was  dull,  dingy,  unpainted, 
weather-beaten,  sooty,  with  unwashed  windows  and  shaky 
doors,  and  seemed  the  very  abode  of  poverty,  and  yet 
when  Turner  died  his  estate  was  sworn  as  under  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  thousand  pounds — seven  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  When  Turner's  father  died  in  1830  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  withered  and  sluttish  old  woman  named  Danby. 
The  whole  house  was  dreary,  dirty,  damp,  and  full  of  litter. 
The  master  had  a  fancy  for  tailless — Manx — cats,  and  these 
made  their  beds  everywhere  without  disturbance.  In  the 
gallery  were  thirty  thousand  fine  proofs  of  engravings  piled 
up  and  rotting.  His  studio  had  a  fair  north  light  from  two 
windows,  and  was  surrounded  by  water-color  drawings.  His 
sherry-bottle  was  kept  in  an  old  second-hand  buffet. 

About  1813  or  1 8 14  Turner  purchased  a  place  at  Twick- 
enham ;  he  rebuilt  the  house,  and  called  it  Solus  Lodge. 
The  rooms  were  small,  and  contained  models  of  rigged  ships 
which  he  used  in  his  marine  views;  in  his  jungle-like  gar- 
den he  grew  aquatic  plants  which  he  often  copied  in  fore- 
grounds. He  kept  a  boat  for  fishing  and  marine  sketching  ; 
also  a  gig  and  an  old  cropped-eared  horse,  with  which  he 
made  sketching  excursions.  He  made  at  this  time  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Rev.  Mr.  Trimmer,  the  rector  of  the  church 
at  Heston,  who  was  a  lover  of  art,  and  often  took  journeys 
with  Turner.  While  visiting  at  the  rectory  Turner  regularly 
attended  church  in  proper  form  ;  and  finally  he  wrote  a  note 
to  Mr.  Trimmer,  alluding  to  his  affection  for  one  of  the  rec- 


282  rAINTIXG. 

tor's  kinswomen,  and  suggesting  :   "If  Miss would  but 

waive  bashfulness,  or  in  other  words  make  an  ofi'er  instead 
of  expecting  one,  the  same  [Lodge]  might  change  occu- 
piers." But  Turner  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  and 
never  made  another  attempt  at  matrimony.  In  1814  Tur- 
ner commenced  his  contributions  of  drawings  to  illustrate 
"  Cook's  Southern  Coast,"  and  continued  this  congenial 
work  for  twelve  years,  making  forty  drawings  at  the  rate  of 
about  twenty  guineas  each;  the  drawings  were  returned  to 
the  artist  after  being  engraved.  In  i8i5he  exhibited  the 
"  Dido  Building  Carthage,"  and  in  1817  a  companion  pic- 
ture, the  "  Decline  of  the  Carthaginian  Empire,"  and  for 
these  two  pictures  the  artist  refused  five  thousand  pounds, 
having  secretly  willed  them  to  the  National  Gallery. 

Riiskin  divides  Turner's  art  life  into  three  periods  :  that 
of  stuii}',  from  1800  to  1820  ;  that  of  working  out  art  theo- 
ries to  vard  an  ideal,  from  1820  to  1835  ;  and  that  of  record- 
ing his  own  impressions  of  nature,  from  1835  to  1845,  pre- 
ceded by  a  period  of  development,  and  followed  by  a  period 
of  decline,  from  1845  to  1S50.  Besides  his  pictures  painted 
on  private  commission,  Turner  exhibited  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pictures  at  the  Academy.  The  "  Rivers  of 
England  "  was  published  in  1824,  with  sixteen  engravings 
after  Turner  ;  another  series  contained  six  illustrations  of 
the  "  Ports  of  England" — second-class  cities.  In  1826  the 
"  Provincial  Antiquities  of  Scotland"  was  published,  with 
thirteen  illustrations  by  Turner.  The  same  year  he  sold 
his  house  at  Twickenham,  because,  he  said,  "Dad"  was 
always  working  in  the  garden,  and  catching  abominable 
colds.  In  1827  Turner  commenced  the  "  England  and 
Wales  "  on  his  own  account,  and  continued  it  for  eleven 
years.  It  consisted  of  a  hundred  plates,  illustrating  ports, 
castles,  abbeys,  cathedrals,  palaces,  coast  views,  and  lakes. 
In  1828  Turner  went  to  Rome  by  way  of  Nismcs.  Avignon, 
Marseilles,   Nice,   and    Genoa  ;  and  this  year  painted    his 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  283 

"  Ulysses  Dividing  Polyphemus,"  of  which  Thornbury  says  : 
"For  color,  for  life  and  shade,  for  composition,  this  seems 
to  nie  to  be  the  most  wonderful  and  admirable  of  Turner's 
realisms."  Ruskin  calls  it  his  central  picture,  illustrating 
his  perfect  power. 

Of  Turner's  wonderful  vcrsatilit}',  Ruskin  says  :  "There 
is  architecture,  including  a  large  number  of  formal  '  gentle- 
men's seats  ; '  then  lowland  pastoral  scenery  of  every  kind, 
including  nearly  all  farming  operations,  plowing,  harrow- 
ing, hedging  and  ditching,  felling  trees,  sheep-washing,  and 
I  know  not  what  else  ;  there  are  all  kinds  of  town  life,  court- 
yards of  inns,  starting  of  mail  coaches,  interiors  of  shops, 
house-buildins:s,  fairs,  and  elections  ;  then  all  kinds  of  inner 
domestic  life,  interiors  of  rooms,  studies  of  costumes,  of  still- 
life  and  heraldry,  including  multitudes  of  symbolical  vign- 
ettes ;  then  marine  scenery  of  every  kind,  full  of  local  in- 
cident—  every  kind  of  boat,  and  the  methods  of  fishing  for 
particular  fish  being  specifically  drawn — round  the  whole 
coast  of  England  ;  pilchard-fishing  at  St.  Ives,  whiting-fish- 
ing at  Margate,  herring  at  Loch  Fyne,  and  all  kinds  of 
shipping,  including  studies  of  every  separate  part  of  the 
vessels,  and  many  marine  battle-pieces  ;  then  all  kinds  of 
mountain  scenery,  some  idealized  into  compositions,  others 
of  definite  localities,  together  with  classical  compositions  ; 
Romes  and  Cartilages,  and  such  others  by  the  myriad,  with 
mythological,  historical,  or  allegorical  figures  ;  nymphs, 
monsters,  and  spectres,  heroes  and  divinities. 
Throughout  the  whole  period  with  which  we  are  at  present 
concerned.  Turner  appears  as  a  man  of  sympathy  absolutely 
infinite — a  sympathy  so  all-embracing  that  I  know  nothing 
but  that  of  Shakespeare  comparable  with  it.  A  soldier's 
wife  resting  by  the  roadside  is  not  beneath  it  ;  Rizpah 
watching  the  dead  bodies  of  her  sons,  not  above  it. 
Nothing  can  possibly  be  so  mean  as  that  it  will  not  in- 
terest his  whole  mind  and  carry  his  whole  heart ;   nothing 


284  PATXTING. 

SO  great  or  solemn  but  that  he  can  raise  himself  into  har- 
mony with  it  ;  and  it  is  impossible  to  prophesy  of  him  at 
any  moment  whether  the  next  he  will  be  in  laughter  or 
tears." 

In  1832  Turner  made  a  will  in  which  he  bequeathed  the 
bulk  of  his  estate  for  the  founding  of  an  institution  "  for 
the  Maintenance  and  Support  of  Poor  and  Decayed  Male 
Artists  being  born  in  England  and  of  English  parents  only, 
and  of  lawful  issue."  It  was  to  be  called  "Turner's  Gift," 
and  for  the  next  twenty  }'ears  the  artist  pinched,  and  econo- 
mized to  increase  the  fund  for  his  noble  purpose.  At 
this  time  he  was  entering  upon  his  third  manner — that  of 
his  highest  excellence,  when  he  "  went  to  the  cataract  for 
its  iris,  and  the  conflagration  for  its  flames  ;  asked  of  the 
sky  its  intensest  azure,  of  the  sun  its  clearest  gold."  It  is 
remarked  by  Ruskin,  who  has  made  most  profound  study 
of  Turner's  works,  that  he  had  an  underlying  meaning  or 
moral  in  his  groups  of  foreign  pictures  ;  in  Carthage,  he  il- 
lustrated the  danger  of  the  pursuit  of  wealth  ;  in  Rome,  the 
fate  of  unbridled  ambition  ;  and  in  Venice,  the  vanity  of 
pleasure  and  luxury.  The  Venetian  pictures  began  in  1833, 
with  a  painting  of  the  Doge's  Palace,  Dogana,  Campanile, 
and  Bridge  of  Sighs  ;  and  with  these  were  exhibited  "Van 
Tronip  Returning  from  Battle,"  the  "  Rotterdam  Ferry- 
boat," and  the  "Mouth  of  the  Seine."  In  1830  or  1831 
he  made,  on  commission  from  the  publisher  Cadell,  twenty- 
four  sketches  to  illustrate  Walter  Scott's  poems — published 
in  1834 — and  while  doing  this  he  was  entertained  ro}-- 
ally  at  Abbotsford,  and  made  excursions  with  Scott  and 
Lockhart  to  Dryburgh  Abbey  and  other  jioints  of  in- 
terest. He  went  as  far  north  as  the  Isle  of  Skyc,  where  he 
drew  Loch  Corriskin,  and  nearly  lost  his  life  b}'  a  fall. 
About  this  time  he  made  a  series  of  illustrations  for  Scott's 
"Life  of  Napoleon."  Turner  spent  some  time  in  Edin- 
burgh,  frequently   sketching   with   Thomson,   a   clerg>'man 


^c 


-^'^^ 


^   Z^ 


Fig.  75.— Illustration  from  Rogers's  Poems. 


286  PAINTING. 

and  local  artist,  who  was  prcferrecl  by  some  of  the  Scotch 
amateurs  to  Turner.  He  one  day  called  at  Thomson's  house 
to  examine  his  paintings,  but  instead  of  expected  praises  he 
merely  remarked,  "  You  beat  me  in  frames."'  Turner  made 
thirty-three  illustrations  for  Rogers's  "Poems"  (Fig.  75), 
and  seventeen  for  an  extended  edition  of  Byron.  He  was  in 
the  habit  at  this  time  of  frequently  walking  to  Cowley  Hall, 
the  residence  of  a  Mr.  Rose,  where  he  was  kindly  wel- 
comed. He  was  there  called  "  Old  Pogey."  One  day  Mrs. 
Rose  asked  him  to  paint  her  favorite  spaniel  ;  in  amazement 
he  cried,  "  ]\Iy  dear  madam,  you  do  not  know  what  you 
ask;"  and  always  after  this  the  lady  went  by  the  title  of 
"  My  dear  madam."  Mr.  Rose  tells  how  he  and  Turner 
sat  up  one  night  until  two  o'clock  drinking  cognac  and  wa- 
ter, and  talking  of  their  travels.  When  Mrs.  Rose  and  a 
lady,  a  friend,  visited  Turner  in  a  house  in  Harley  Street,  in 
mid-vv'intcr,  they  were  entertained  with  wine  and  biscuits 
in  a  cold  room,  without  a  fire,  where  they  saw  seven  tail- 
less cats,  which  Turner  said  were  brought  from  the  Isle  of 
Man. 

For  three  jears  Turner  travelled  in  France,  and  made 
studies  and  sketches  up  and  down  its  rivers.  These  were 
first  published  as  "  Turner's  Annual  Tour,"  but  were  after- 
ward brought  out  by  Bohn  as  "  Liber  Fluviorum."  These 
sketches  have  been  highly  praised  by  Ruskin  ;  but  Ham- 
merton,  who  certainly  knows  French  scenery  far  more  ac- 
curately than  Ruskin,  while  praising  the  exquisite  beauty 
of  Turner's  work,  challenges  its  accuracy,  and  especially  as 
to  color,  saying  that  "Turner,  as  a  colorist,  was  splendid 
and  powerful,  but  utterly  unfaithful."  Leitch  Ritchie,  who 
was  associated  with  Turner  in  this  work,  could  not  travel 
with  him,  their  tastes  were  so  unlike;  and  he  says  that 
Turner's  drawings  were  marvellously  exaggerated,  that  he 
would  make  a  splendid  picture  of  a  ])lace  without  a  single 
correct  detail,  trebling  the  height  t)f  spires  and  throwing  in 


J.   M.   w.   'rukXHR.  287 

imaginary  accessories.  Turner  ahva}'s  cla'mcd  the  right  to 
change  the  groupings  of  his  landscapes  and  architecture  at 
will,  preferring  to  give  a  general  and  idealized  view  of  the 
landscape  rather  than  a  precise  copy  thereof. 

In  1835  he  exhibited  "  Heidelberg  Castle  in  the  Olden 
Time,"  '*  Ehrenbreitstein,"  "Venice  from  the  Salute 
Church,"  and  "  Line-fishing  off  Hastings."  In  1836  he  ex- 
hibited a  "View  of  Rome  from  the  Aventine  Hill,"  and 
the  "  Burning  of  the  House  of  Lords  and  Commons,"  which 
last  was  almost  entirely  painted  on  the  walls  of  the  exhibi- 
tion. At  this  time  it  was  the  custom  to  have  what  were 
called  "varnishing  days"  at  the  exhibition,  during  which 
time  artists  retouched,  and  finished  up  their  pictures.  They 
were  periods  of  fun  and  practical  jokes,  and  Turner  always 
enjoyed,  and  made  the  most  of  them.  He  frequently 
sent  his  canvas  to  the  Academy  merely  sketched  out  and 
grounded,  and  then  coming  in  as  early  as  four  in  the  morn- 
ing on  varnishing  days,  he  would  put  his  nose  to  the  sketch 
and  work  steadily  with  thousands  of  imperceptible  touches 
until  nightfall,  while  his  picture  would  begin  to  glow  as  by 
magic.  About  this  time  he  exhibited  many  pictures  founded 
on  classical  subjects,  or  with  the  scenes  laid  in  Italy  or 
Greece,  as  "Apollo  and  Daphne  in  the  Vale  ofTempe," 
"  Regulus  Leaving  Rome  to  Return  to  Carthage,"  the  "Part- 
ing of  Hero  and  Leander,"  "  Phryne  Going  to  the  Pub- 
lic Baths  as  Venus,"  the  "  Banishment  of  Ovid  from  Rome, 
with  Views  of  the  Bridge  and  Castle  of  St.  Angelo."  A 
year  later  he  exhibited  pictures  of  "  Ancient  Rome,"  a  vast 
dreamy  pile  of  palaces,  and  "Modern  Rome,"  with  a  view 
of  the  "Forum  in  Ruins." 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  of  Turner's  pictures  was  that 
of  the  "  Old  Temeraire,"  an  old  and  famous  line-of-battle 
ship,  which  in  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  ran  in  between  and 
captured  the  French  frigates  Redoubtable  and  Fougueux. 
Turner  saw  the  Temeraire  in  the  Thames  after  she  had  be- 


288  PAINTING. 

come  old,  and  was  condemned  to  be  dismantled.  The  scene 
is  laid  at  sunset,  when  the  smouldering,  red  light  is  vividly 
reflected  on  the  river,  and  contrasts  with  the  quiet,  gray 
and  pearly  tints  about  the  low-hung  moon.  The  majestic 
old  ship  looms  up  through  these  changing  lights,  bathed  in 
splendor.  The  artist  refused  a  large  price  for  this  picture 
by  Mr.  Lennox,  of  New  York,  and  finally  bequeathed  it  to 
the  nation.  In  1840  Turner  exhibited  the  "  Bacchus  and 
Ariadne,"  two  marine  scenes,  and  two  views  in  Venice  ;  also 
the  well-known  "  Slavers  Throwing  Overboard  the  Dead  and 
Dying,  a  Typhoon  Coming  On  "  (Fig.  "jQ),  which  is  now  in 
the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts  of  Boston.  Of  this  picture  Thack- 
eray says:  "  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  sublime  or  ridicu- 
lous." Ikit  Ruskin,  in  "Modern  Painters,"  says  :  "I  be- 
lieve if  I  were  reduced  to  test  Turner's  immortalit}'  upon 
any  single  work,  I  should  choose  the  '  Slave  Ship.'  Its 
daring  conception,  ideal  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word,  is 
based  on  the  purest  truth,  and  wrought  out  with  the  con- 
centrated knowledge  of  a  life.  Its  color  is  absolutely  per- 
fect, not  one  false  or  morbid  hue  in  any  part  or  line,  and  so 
modulated  that  every  square  inch  of  canvas  is  a  perfect 
composition  ;  its  drawing  as  accurate  as  fearless  ;  the  ship 
buoyant,  bending,  and  full  of  motion  ;  its  tones  as  true  as 
they  are  wonderful ;  and  the  whole  picture  dedicated  to  the 
most  sublime  of  subjects  and  impressions  (completing  thus 
the  perfect  system  of  all  truth  which  we  have  shown  to  be 
formed  by  Turner's  works),  the  power,  majesty,  and  death- 
fulness  of  the  open,  deep,  illimitable  sea." 

No  painter  of  modern  times,  or  perhaps  of  an}*  time, 
has  ever  provoked  the  discussion  of  his  merits  which  Turner 
did.  AVhcn  he  was  at  his  best  his  great  merits  and  his  orig- 
inality procured  for  him  the  strongest  defenders,  and  finally 
brought  his  pictures  into  favor  with  the  wealthy  middle  class 
of  England,  so  that  he  obtained  high  prices,  and  since  his 
death  these  prices  have  doubled,  ;uk1  even  quadrupletl.     At 


11  ,    7    — i"^    Slave  Ship.     By  Turner, 


290  PAINTING. 

a  sale  of  Mr.  Bicknell's  collection  in  1836,  ten  of  Turner's 
pictures,  which  had  been  bought  for  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty-nine  pounds,  were  sold  for  seventeen 
thousand  and  ninety-four  pounds.  As  Turner  grew  older 
and  his  manner  deteriorated  he  was  assailed  by  the  wits, 
the  art  critics,  and  the  amateurs  with  cruel  badinage,  and 
to  these  censures  Turner  was  morbidly  sensitive.  But  even 
Ruskin  admits  that  the  pictures  of  his  last  five  years  are  of 
"  wholly  inferior  value,"  with  unsatisfactory  foliage,  chalky 
faces,  and  general  indications  of  feebleness  of  hand. 

Wornum,  in  his  EpocJis  of  Painting,  said  :  '•  In  the  last 
ten  years  of  his  career,  and  occasionally  before,  Turner  was 
extravagant  to  an  extreme  degree  ;  he  played  equally  with 
nature  and  with  his  colors.  Light,  with  all  its  prismatic 
varieties,  seems  to  have  been  the  chief  object  of  his  studies  ; 
individuality  of  form  or  color  he  was  wholly  indifferent  to. 
The  looseness  of  execution  in  his  latest  works  has  not  even 
the  apology  of  having  been  attempted  on  scientific  prin- 
ciples ;  he  did  not  work  upon  a  particular  point  of  a  picture 
as  a  focus  and  leave  the  rest  obscure,  as  a  foil  to  enhance  it, 
on  a  principle  of  unity  ;  on  the  contrary,  all  is  equally 
obscure  and  wild  alike.  These  last  productions  arc  a  calamity 
to  his  reputation  ;  yet  we  may,  perhaps,  safely  assert  that 
since  Rembrandt  there  has  been  no  painter  of  such  origi- 
nality and  power  as  Turner."  Dr.  Waagen  says  in  his 
Treasury  of  Art  in  Great  Britain  :  "  No  landscape  painter 
has  yet  appeared  with  such  versatility  of  falent.  His  his- 
torical landscapes  exhibit  the  most  exquisite  feeling  for 
beauty  of  hues  and  effect  of  lighting,  at  the  same  time  that 
he  has  the  power  of  making  them  express  the  most  varied 
moods  of  nature." 

Toward  the  last  part  of  his  life  Turner's  peculiari- 
ties increased  ;  he  became  more  morose,  more  jealous. 
He  was  always  unwilling  to  have  even  his  most  intimate 
friends  visit  his   studio,  but   he    finallv  withdrew  from  his 


J.    M.    W.    TURNER.  29 1 

own  house  and  home.  Of  late  years  he  had  frequently 
left  his  house  for  months  at  a  time,  and  secreted  himself 
in  some  distant  quarter,  taking  care  that  he  should  not 
be  followed  or  known.  When  the  great  Exhibition  of 
1 85 1  opened,  Turner  left  orders  with  his  housekeeper  that 
no  one  should  be  admitted  to  see  his  pictures.  For  twenty 
years  the  rain  had  been  streaming  in  upon  them  through  the 
leaky  roof,  and  many  were  hopelessly  ruined.  He  sent  no 
pictures  to  the  exhibition  of  that  year,  and  he  was  hardly 
to  be  recognized  when  he  appeared  in  the  gallery.  Finally 
his  prolonged  absence  from  the  Academy  meetings  alarmed 
his  friends  ;  but  no  one  dared  seek  him  out.  His  house- 
keeper alone,  of  all  that  had  known  him,  had  the  interest  to 
hunt  up  the  old  artist.  Taking  a  hint  from  a  letter  in  one 
of  his  coats,  she  went  to  Chelsea,  and,  after  careful  search, 
found  his  hiding-place,  with  but  one  more  day  of  life 
in  him.  It  is  said  that,  feeling  the  need  of  purer  air 
than  that  of  Queen  Anne  Street,  he  went  out  to  Chelsea 
and  found  an  eligible,  little  cottage  by  the  side  of  the  river, 
with  a  railed-in  roof  whence  he  could  observe  the  sky.  The 
landlady  demanded  references  from  the  shabby,  old  man, 
when  he  testily  replied,  "  My  good  woman,  I'll  buy  the 
house  outright."  She  then  demanded  his  name—"  in  case, 
sir,  any  gentleman  should  call,  you  know."  "  Name  ?  ''  said 
he,  "what's  your  name?'  "  My  name  is  Mrs.  Booth." 
"Then  I  am  Mr.  Booth."  And  so  he  was  known,  the  boys 
along  the  river-side  calling  him  "  Puggy  Booth,"  and  the 
tradesmen  "  Admiral  Booth,"  the  theory  being  that  he  was 
an  old  admiral  in  reduced  circumstances.  In  a  low  studded, 
attic  room,  poorly  furnished,  with  a  single  roof  window,  the 
great  artist  was  found  in  his  mortal  sickness.  He  sent  for 
his  favorite  doctor  from  Margate,  who  frankly  told  him  that 
death  was  at  hand.  "  Go  down  stairs,"  exclaimed  Turner, 
"  take  a  glass  of  sherry,  and  then  look  at  me  again."  But 
no  stimulant  could  change  the  verdict  of  the  physician.     An 


292  PAINTING. 

hour  before  he  died  he  was  wheeled  to  the  window  for  a 
last  look  at  the  Thames,  bathed  in  sunshine  and  dotted  with 
sails.  Up  to  the  last  sickness  the  lonely,  old  man  rose  at 
daybreak  to  watch,  from  the  roof  of  the  cottage,  the  sun 
rise  and  the  purple  flush  of  the  coming  day.  The  funeral, 
from  the  house  in  Queen  Anne  Street,  was  imposing,  with 
a  long  line  of  carriages,  and  conducted  with  the  ritual  of  the 
English  Church  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral.  Dean  Milman 
read  the  service,  and  at  its  conclusion  the  cofifin  was  borne 
to  the  catacombs,  and  placed  between  the  tombs  of  James 
Barry  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  Turner's  will,  with  its 
codicils,  was  so  confused  and  vague  that  the  lawyers  fought 
it  in  the  courts  for  four  years,  and  it  was  finally  settled  by 
compromise.  The  real  estate  went  to  the  heir-at-law,  the 
pictures  and  drawings  to  the  National  Gallery,  one  thousand 
pounds  for  a  monument  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  twenty 
thousand  pounds  to  the  Royal  Academy  for  annuities  to  poor 
artists.  Turner's  gift  to  the  British  nation  included  ninety- 
eight  finished  paintings  and  two  hundred  and  seventy  pic- 
tures in  various  stages  of  progress.  Ruskin,  while  arrang- 
ing and  classifying  Turner's  drawings,  found  more  than 
nineteen  thousand  sketches  and  fragments  by  the  master's 
hand,  some  covered  with  the  dust  of  thirty  years. 

Sir  David  Wilkie  (1785-1841)  has  been  called  the 
"prince  of  British  ^^;/r^  painters."  His  father  was  a  minis- 
ter, and  David  was  placed  in  the  Trustees'  Academy  in 
Edinburgh  in  1799.  In  1805  he  entered  the  Royal  Academy 
in  London,  and  was  much  noticed  on  account  of  his  "  Village 
Politicians,"  exhibited  the  next  year.  From  this  time  his 
fame  and  popularity  were  established,  and  each  new  work 
was  simply  a  new  triumph  for  him.  The  "  Card  Players," 
"Rent  Day,"  the  "Village  Festival,"  and  others  were 
rapidly  painted  and  exhibited. 

In  1825  Wilkie  went  to  the  Continent,  and  remained  three 
years.      He  visited  France,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Spain,  and 


SIR    EDWIN    LANDSEER.  293 

after  his  return  he  painted  a  new  class  of  subjects  in  a  new 
manner.  He  made  many  portraits,  and  his  other  works 
were  historical  subjects.  His  most  celebrated  works  in  this 
second  manner  were  "  John  Knox  Preaching,"  "  Napoleon 
and  the  Pope  at  P'ontainebleau,"  and  "  Peep-o'-Day  Boy's 
Cabin."  The  portrait  of  the  landscape  painter  William 
Daniell  is    a  good  picture. 

In  i83oWilkie  succeeded  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  as  painter 
to  the  king,  as  he  had  been  limner  to  the  King  of  Scotland 
since  1822.  He  was  not  knighted  until  1836.  In  1840  he 
visited  Constantinople,  and  made  a  portrait  of  the  sultan  ;  he 
went  then  to  the  Holy  Land  and  Egypt.  While  at  Alexan- 
dria, on  his  way  home,  Wilkie  complained  of  illness,  and  on 
shipboard,  off  Gibraltar,  he  died,  and  was  buried  at  sea. 
This  burial  is  the  subject  of  one  of  Turner's  pictures,  and  is 
now  in  the  National  Gallery. 

The  name  of  Landseer  is  an  important  one  in  British  art. 
John  Landseer  (1761-1852)  wa^  an  eminent  engraver;  his 
son  Thomas  (i 795-1 880)  followed  the  profession  of  his 
father  and  arrived  at  great  celebrity  in  it.  CllARLES,  born 
in  1799.  anoth'er  son  of  John  Landseer,  became  a  painter 
and  devoted  himself  to  a  sort  of  historical  genre  line  of  sub- 
jects, such  as  "  Cromwell  at  the  House  of  Sir  Walter  Stewart 
in  1651,"  "Surrender  of  Arundel  Castle  in  1643,"  and 
various  others  of  a  like  nature.  Charles  Landseer  travelled 
in  Portugal  and  Brazil  Avhen  a  young  man  ;  he  was  made  a 
member.ofthe  Royal  Academy  in  1845;  from  1851  to  1871 
he  was  keeper  of  the  Academy,  and  has  been  an  industrious 
and  respected  artist.  But  the  great  genius  of  the  family 
was 

Sir  Edwin  Landseer  (i 802-1 873),  the  youngest  son  of 
John  Landseer,  the  engraver.  He  received  his  first  drawing 
lessons  from  his  father,  and  from  a  very  early  age  showed 
a  great  talent  for  sketching  and  that  love  for  the  brute 
creation    which   have  been   his    chief  characteristics  as  an 


294  PAINTING. 

artist.  He  had  the  power  to  understand  his  dumb  subjects 
as  well  as  if  they  spoke  some  language  together,  and  then 
he  had  the  ability  to  fix  the  meaning  of  all  they  had  told 
him  upon  his  canvas,  by  means  of  the  sketching  lines  which 
gave  the  precise  form  of  it  all  and  by  his  finishing  shades 
which  put  in  the  expression.  If  his  animals  were  prosper- 
ous and  gladsome,  he  represented  their  good  fortune  with 
hearty  pleasure  ;  if  they  were  suffering,  sad,  or  bereaved,  he 
painted  their  woes  with  a  sympathy  such  as  none  but  a  true 
friend  can  give. 

When  Edwin  and  Thomas  were  old  enough  that  their 
father  thought  other  instruction  than  his  own  should  be 
given  them,  he  placed  them  with  Haydon,  and  in  these 
early  days  the  master  predicted  that  Edwin  Landseer  would 
be  the  Snyders  of  England.  Edwin  sent  his  first  picture  to 
the  Royal  Academy  when  he  was  but  thirteen  years  old,  and 
during  the  following  fifty-eight  years  there  were  but  six  ex- 
hibitions to  which  he  did  not  contribute.  When  he  began 
his  studies  at  the  Royal  Academy  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  and  already  famous  as  an  animal  painter.  He  was  a 
bright,  curly-headed,  manly  lad,  and  the  aged  Fuseli,  then 
keeper  of  the  Academy,  grew  to  be  very  fond  of  liim  ;  he 
would  often  ask,  "  Where  is  my  little  dog-boy  ?  " 

Edwin  Landseer  now  worked  on  diligently  and  quietly; 
his  works  were  constantly  praised,  and  he  received  all  the 
patronage  that  he  desired.  Through  the  advice  of  his  mas- 
ter, Haydon,  he  had  the  habit  of  dissecting  animals,  and 
learning  their  anatomy  with  all  the  exactness  with  which 
other  artists  study  that  of  human  beings.  About  1820  a 
lion  died  in  the  Exeter  Change  Menagerie,  and  Edwin  Land- 
seer secured  the  body  for  dissection.  He  then  painted  three 
large  pictures  of  lions,  and  during  the  year  in  which  he 
became  eighteen  years  old,  he  exhibited  these  pictures  and 
others  of  horses,  dogs,  donkeys,  deer,  goats,  wolves,  and 
vultures. 


SIR   EDWIN    LANDSEER.  295 

When  nineteen,  in  1821,  he  painted  "  Pointers,  To-ho  !  " 
a  hunting  scene,  which  was  sold  in  1872,  the  year  before  his 
death,  for  two  thousand  and  sixteen  pounds.  In  1822 
Landseer  gained  the  prize  of  the  British  Institution,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  by  his  picture  of  "  The  Larder 
Invaded."  He  made  the  first  sketch  for  this  on  a  child's 
slate,  which  is  still  preserved  as  a  treasure.  But  the  most 
famous  of  this  master's  early  works  is  the  "  Cat's  Paw,"  in 
which  a  monkey  uses  a  cat's  paw  to  draw  chestnuts  from 
a  hot  stove.  Landseer  was  paid  one  hundred  pounds  ;  its 
present  value  is  three  thousand  pounds,  and  it  is  kept  at  the 
seat  of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  Cashiobury. 

This  picture  of  the  "  Cat's  Paw  "  had  an  important  result 
for  the  young  artist,  as  it  happened  that  it  was  exhibited 
when  Sir  Walter  Scott  was  in  London,  and  he  was  so  much 
pleased  with  it  that  he  made  Landseer's  acquaintance,  and 
invited  him  to  visit  Abbotsford.  Accordingly,  in  1824, 
Landseer  visited  Sir  Walter  in  company  with  Leslie,  who 
then  painted  a  portrait  of  the  great  novelist,  which  now 
belongs  to  the  Ticknor  family  of  Boston.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  Sir  Walter  wrote  in  his  journal  :  "  Landseer's 
dogs  were  the  most  magnificent  things  I  ever  saw,  leaping, 
and  bounding,  and  grinning  all  over  the  canvas."  Out  of 
this  visit  came  a  picture  called  "  A  Scene  at  Abbotsford," 
in  which  the  dog  Maida,  so  loved  by  Scott,  was  the  promi- 
nent figure  ;  six  weeks  after  it  was  finished  the  dog  died. 

At  this  time  Sir  Walter  was  not  known  as  the  author  of 
the  "  Waverley  Novels,"  but  in  later  years  Landseer  painted 
a  picture  which  he  called  "  Extract  from  a  Journal  whilst 
at  Abbotsford,"  to  which  the  following  was  attached : 
"  Found  the  great  poet  in  his  study,  laughing  at  a  collie 
dog  playing  with  Maida,  his  favorite  old  greyhound,  given 
him  by  Glengarry,  and  quoting  Shakespeare — '  Crabbed 
old  age  and  youth  cannot  agree.'  On  the  floor  was  the 
cover  of  a  proof-sheet,  sent  for  correction  by  Constable, 


296  PAINTING. 

of  the  novel  then  in  progress.  N.  B. — This  took  place 
before  he  was  the  acknowledged  author  of  the  '  Waverley 
Novels.'  "  Landseer  early  suspected  Scott  of  the  author- 
ship of  the  novels,  and  without  doubt  he  came  to  this  con- 
clusion from  what  he  saw  at  Abbotsford. 

Landseer  repeated  his  visits  to  Scotland  for  many  years, 
and  saw  all  parts  of  that  country  at  various  seasons.  From 
the  time  of  his  first  visit  there  was  a  new  feeling  in  his  works 
— a  breadth  and  power  was  in  them  which  he  gained  from 
nature,  and  a  refinement  and  elevation  which  he  undoubt- 
edly received  from  his  friendship  with  Sir  Walter  and  the 
impetus  it  gave  him.  He  also  became  so  interested  in  the 
Gaelic  people  that  he  painted  good  pictures  of  them.  At 
first  these  men  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  a  huntsman 
who  would  throw  away  his  gun  when  fine  game  appeared, 
and  draw  out  pencils  and  paper  to  make  pictures  of  what 
others  were  so  eager  to  shoot.  This  tendency  made  him  a 
poor  hunter  ;  but  he  was  intensely  interested  in  the  chase, 
and  especially  in  deer-stalking.  He  insisted  that  deer  had 
intelligence,  and  the  question  was  whether  the  game  or  the 
hunter  happened  to  have  the  superior  mind.  When  in  Lon- 
don the  artist  was  a  quiet,  society  gentleman  ;  but  each  year 
he  broke  away  from  all  city  habits,  and  went  to  the  High- 
lands, where  he  divided  his  days  between  the  chase  and 
painting  portraits  of  his  friends  there  with  their  children  and 
pets,  or  putting  frescoes  on  the  walls  of  their  houses. 

Landseer  continued  to  live  in  his  father's  house  long 
after  he  was  a  famous  man.  The  senior  artist  conducted 
all  business  matters — sold  pictures,  and  took  the  money  for 
them  as  if  his  son  was  still  a  boy.  At  length,  through  the 
advice  of  a  friend,  Edwin  Landseer  removed  to  No.  i  St. 
John's  Wood  Road,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  iNIaida 
Vale  ;  he  enlarged,  and  improved  this  home  from  time  to 
time,  and  had  no  other  for  nearly  fifty  years. 

In  1826  Landseer  jKiintcd  "  Chevy  Chase  ;"  it  was  the  only 


1 


298  PAINTING. 

historical  painting  he  ever  did,  and  still  remains  at  Woburn 
Abbey,  where  it  originally  went.  The  animals  in  the  picture 
are  excellent  of  course,  but  this  sort  of  painting' was  not  that 
in  which  Landseer  showed  his  best.  This  year  of  1826  was 
an  important  one  to  this  master.  He  was  twenty-four  years 
old,  and  was  immediately  admitted  an  Associate  of  the  Royal 
Academy.  No  one  can  be  a  candidate  for  this  honor  at  a 
younger  age,  and  very  few  others  have  attained  it  so  early. 
Before  he  was  thirty  Landseer  was  a  full  member,  and  his 
diploma  picture,  "The  Dead  Warrior"  is  in  the  Royal 
Academy.  But  this  year  saw  a  great  change  in  his  pictures, 
as  may  be  seen  in  that  of  "  The  Chief's  Return  from 
Deer-stalking,"  which  he  sent  to  the  next  exhibition.  It 
was  free,  broad,  and  effective  beyond  any  previous  work, 
and  this  manner  was  his  best.  Many  judges  fix  the  year 
1834  as  the  very  prime  in  the  art  of  Landseer,  and  one  of  the 
works  of  that  year,  called  "Bolton  Abbey  in  the  Olden 
Time,"  is  very  famous.  It  represents  the  vassals  of  the 
abbey  bringing  in  their  tributes  of  game,  fish,  and  fruits, 
which  the  jolly,  old  monks  gladly  receive. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  Landseer's  best  pictures 
are  of  dogs,  and  we  can  but  echo  the  words  of  Hamerton 
when  he  says  :  "  The  best  commentators  on  Landseer, 
the  best  defenders  of  his  genius,  are  the  dogs  themselves  ; 
and  so  long  as  there  exist  terriers,  deer-hounds,  blood- 
hounds, his  fame  will  need  little  assistance  from  writers  on 
art." 

Landseer  had  a  long  and  happy  intimacy  with  Queen 
Victoria  and  the  royal  family.  He  painted  portraits  of 
the  various  members  of  the  queen's  household  in  all  possi- 
ble ways,  with  dogs  and  on  horseback,  in  fancy  dress  and 
hunting  costume  —  in  short,  these  portraits  are  far  too 
numerous  to  be  mentioned  in  detail.  Ever  after  1835 
Landseer  was  called  upon  to  paint  pictures  of  the  pets  of 
the   royal  family,    and    these    works   became   very   numer- 


SIR   EDWIN    LANDSEER.  299 

ous.  While  he  was  thus  favored  as  an  artist  he  was  also  a 
friend  of  the  queen  and  her  immediate  family  ;  he  was  often 
summoned  to  play  billiards  with  Prince  Albert,  The  queen's 
Journal  of  Life  in  the  Highlands  frequently  mentions  him, 
and  we  are  sure  that  if  we  could  read  Landseer's  diary  it 
would  tell  us  many  interesting  things  of  the  queen  and  her 
family.  Naturally  it  followed  that  an  artist  thus  favored  by 
the  queen  v.ould  be  patronized  by  the  nobility,  and  it  is  true 
that  much  of  Landseer's  time,  both  as  an  artist  and  as  a  gen- 
tleman of  society,  was  passed  in  the  company  of  people 
of  the  highest  positions  in  Great  Britain  ;  and  with  the  one 
exception  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  no  artist  in  England  was 
ever  visited  by  so  many  people  of  rank.  His  house  was 
really  a  social  centre,  and  no  one  felt  above  accepting  his 
hasty  invitations  to  his  parties,  which  were  almost  always 
gotten  up  on  an  impulse  and  the  guests  invited  at  the  last 
possible  moment. 

Among  Landseer's  friends  were  Dickens  and  Thackeray, 
and  Sydney  Smith  was  very  fond  of  the  artist ;  and  it  is  said 
that  when  the  great  wit  was  asked  to  sit  to  Landseer  for  his 
portrait,  he  replied  in  the  words  of  the  haughty  Syrian  :  "  Is 
thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should  do  this  thing  ?  " 

When  at  his  best  Landseer  had  a  facility  in  drawing 
and  painting  that  was  marvellous.  He  could  draw  two 
entirely  different  objects  at  the  same  moment,  his  left  hand 
being  equally  skilful  with  the  right.  He  was  seen  to  draw 
a  horse's  head  with  one  hand  and  a  stag's  head  with 
antlers  at  exactly  the  same  time — and  this  at  an  evening 
party  to  prove  that  it  could  be  done.  He  once  sent 
to  an  exhibition  a  picture  of  rabbits  under  which  he  wrote, 
"  Painted  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour."  He  painted  a  life- 
size  picture  of  a  fallow-deer  in  three  hours,  and  it  required 
no  retouching.  One  of  his  comrades  said  :  "  Sir  Edwin  has 
a  fine  hand,  a  correct  eye,  refined  perceptions,  and  can  do 
almost  anything  but  dance  on  the  slack  wire.      He  is  a  fine 


300  PAIMINLI. 

billiard  plaj'cr,  plays  at  chess,  sings  when  with  his  intimate 
friends,  and  has  considerable  humor." 

We  have  passed  over  the  best  and  most  pleasant  part  of 
the  life  of  this  great  painter,  for  in  1840  he  had  an  attack  of 
illness  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  travelled,  and 
endeavored  in  every^  way  to  go  on  with  his  work  ;  but  he 
was  always  subject  to  attacks  of  depression  which  were  some- 
times so  serious  that  his  friends  feared  loss  of  reason.  Of 
course  there  was  a  different  tone  in  his  works — a  serious- 
ness and  pathos,  and  at  times  a  religious  element,  which 
was  very  acceptable  to  some  persons,  and  he  gained  ad- 
mirers where  he  had  not  found  them  before.  But  it  can 
scarcely  be  said  that  his  last  days  were  his  best  days,  though 
he  executed  some  famous  pictures. 

In  1866  he  exhibited  a  model  of  a  stag  at  bay  which 
was  afterward  cast  in  bronze.  The  lions  at  the  base  of 
the  Nelson  monument  in  Trafalgar  Square  may  be  called 
the  work  of  Sir  Edwin,  for  he  modelled  one  of  the  colossal 
beasts  from  which  the  others  w^ere  formed  with  but  slight 
changes,  and  the  whole  were  cast  under  the  care  of  Baron 
Marochctti. 

In  1872  he  painted  "  The  Font,"  which  is  a  religious  sub- 
ject. It  represents  the  sheep  and  lambs  of  the  Gospel 
gathering  round  a  font,  upon  the  edge  of  which  are  doves. 
A  rainbow  spans  the  sky  ;  on  the  sides  of  the  font  are  a 
mask  of  the  face  of  Christ  and  the  symbols  of  the  Atone- 
ment. This  is  a  painful  picture,  for  while  it  is  exquisite  in 
conception  its  execution  shows  the  weakness  of  the  painter, 
who  so  soon  after  he  made  it  was  released  from  all  his  dark- 
ness and  suffering. 

Sir  Edwin  Landseer  w\'is  buried  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral 
•with  all  the  honors  which  his  genius  and  character  merited. 
His  works  are  known  to  almost  every  child  in  America 
by  means  of  the  engravings  which  have  been  made  from 
them.      Ilis    brother    Thomas    engraved    hundreds    of    the 


CONCLUSION.  301 

designs  of  Edwin  and  made  them  popular  all  over  the 
world,  and  a  large  part  of  this  success  was  due  to  the  skill 
and  sympathy  which  Thomas  devoted  to  what  was  largely 
a  work  of  love.  Of  course  many  other  engravers  have 
worked  after  Landseer,  and  almost  all  his  pictures  have 
been  reproduced  in  one  style  of  engraving  or  another. 

There  are  nine  portraits  of  Sir  Edwin  Landseer  in  exist- 
ence— one  by  J.  Hayter  when  Landseer  was  thirteen  years 
old  and  is  represented  as  a  cricketer  ;  one  painted  a  year 
later  by  Leslie,  in  which  Edwin  Landseer  is  the  Rutland  in 
the  work  called  "Henry  VL"  It  is  owned  by  the  Phila- 
delphia Academy.  The  next  were  not  made  until  1843, 
when  Count  d'Orsay  painted  two  portraits  of  him  ;  in  1830 
Dupper  had  made  a  drawing,  and  in  1835  a  photograph  was 
taken  ;  Baron  Marochetti  made  a  bust  portrait  of  Landseer 
which  is  in  the  Royal  Academy,  and  in  his  picture  called  the 
"Connoisseurs"  Sir  Edwin  painted  his  own  portrait,  with 
do^fs  on  each  side  who  stand  as  critics  of  his  work.  This 
was  painted  in  1865. 

Sir  Edwin  Landseer  left  an  estate  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  pounds,  and  the  works  unsold  at  his  death 
brought  about  seventy  thousand  pounds.  His  will  made 
but  a  few  bequests,  and  the  remainder  of  this  large  sum  was 
divided  between  his  brother  and  three  sisters.  With  the 
account  of  Sir  Edwin  I  shall  close  the  account  of  painters 
given  in  this  volume. 

We  have  seen  how  few  actual  remains  of  the  painting 
of  ancient  nations  are  now  in  existence.  Almost  nothing 
is  left  even  from  the  times  of  the  Greeks  ;  in  truth,  there 
is  more  upon  the  tombs  of  Egypt  than  in  the  land  of 
Hellas.  We  read  accounts  of  classic  painting  which  arouse 
our  deepest  interest  one  moment,  only  to  remember  in 
the  next  that  we  can  see  but  the  merest  scraps  of  all  this 
wealth  of  beauty  which  moved  the  cultured  Greeks  to  write 
of  it  with  such  enthusiasm. 


302  PAINTING. 

After  the  days  of  classic  art  we  have  endeavored  to 
trace  painting  tlirough  a  period  when  it  could  scarcely  be 
termed  an  art,  so  little  of  it  was  done,  and  that  little  was 
so  far  below  our  ideal.  Again,  this  decline  was  followed  by 
a  Renaissance — an  awakening — and  from  that  day  in  the 
fourteenth  century  when  the  Madonna  of  Cimabue  was 
carried  in  triumph  through  the  streets  of  Florence,  this  art 
moved  on  with  progressive  steps  until  Michael  Angelo, 
Leonardo,  Raphael,  Titian,  and  others  highly  gifted,  had 
set  up  the  standards  which  have  remained  as  beacons  and 
guides  to  all  the  world. 

In  tracing  this  progress  we  have  seen  that  Italy,  the 
German  nations,  Spain,  France,  and  England  have  all 
striven  to  dream  dreams  of  beauty  and  grandeur,  of  tender- 
ness and  love,  and  to  fix  them  in  fitting  colors  where  all  the 
world  could  see  them. 

The  past  is  always  fascinating.  No  stories  are  so  pleas- 
antly begun  as  those  that  say,  "  A  long  time  ago  there  lived," 
etc.  One  can  have  the  most  complete  satisfaction  in  the 
study  of  what  has  happened  so  far  in  the  past  that  we  can 
see  all  its  effects  and  judge  of  it  by  the  tests  which  time  is 
sure  to  bring  to  everything.  It  is  such  a  stud}' that  has  been 
made  in  these  pages,  and  I  would  suggest  that  it  has  a  sec- 
ond use  scarcely  less  important  than  the  study  of  history — 
that  is,  the  preparation  it  affords  forjudging  of  what  is  done 
in  the  present.  A  knowledge  of  what  has  been  achieved 
enables  us  by  comparison  to  decide  upon  the  merits  of  new 
works. 

The  painting  of  to-day  offers  an  immense  field  for  in- 
vestigation. When  we  remember  that  five  centuries  ago 
the  painters  of  the  world  could  be  counted  by  tens,  and  are 
told  that  now  there  is  an  average  of  twenty-five  hundred 
painters  in  some  foreign  cities,  we  see  that  a  lifetime  is 
scarcely  sufficient  in  which  to  study  the  painting  of  our  own 
era. 


CONCLUSION.  303 

Have  we  not  reason  to  hope  that  works  are  now  being 
produced  which  shall  be  studied  and  admired  in  the  future 
as  we  study  and  admire  those  of  the  past?  Is  it  not  true 
that  the  artistic  works  of  any  period  show  forth  the  spirit 
of  the  time?  If,  then,  the  close  of  the  Dark  Ages  and  the 
dawn  of  a  better  life  could  bring  forth  the  treasures  which 
remain  from  those  days,  what  ought  to  be  the  result  of  the 
more  universal  learning  and  the  advancing  civilization  of 
the  nineteenth  century  ?  And  so,  in  leaving  this  book, 
I  hope  that  it  may  be  useful  to  all  who  read  it  for  one  pur- 
pose that  I  have  suggested  or  the  other  ;  either  to  present 
an  outline  of  what  has  been  done  in  the  past,  or  aid  in  the 
understanding  of  the  painting  of  the  present. 


INDEX. 

By  L.  E.  JONES. 


**  A  BR  AH  AM    and   the   Three 

Angels  "  (Navarrete),  21 1 
Academia  Leonard!  Vinci,  87 
Adams,  John,  portrait  by  Copley, 

264 
Adams,  Samuel,   portrait  by  Cop- 
ley, 264 
"  Adoration  of  the  Kings  "  (Vincij, 

89 
"Adoration   of    the     Shepherds" 

(Velasquez),  216 
"  Agrippina    Weeping    over    the 

Urn  of  Germanicus  "  (West), 

265 
Albani,  Francesco,  148 
"  Aldobrandini  Marriage,"  27 
Alexander  the   Great,  portrait  by 

Apelles,  18 
Allen,  James,  portrait  by  Copley, 

264 
Allston,  portrait  of  West,  266 
"  Analysis  of  Beauty  "  (Hogarth), 

254 
Ancient  painting,  1-40 
"Ancient  Rome"  (Turner),  287 
Andalusia  school  of  painting,  213 


Angelico,  Fra,  72-78 
Animal  painters— Snyders  and  Fyt, 
167;    Potter,    187;   Landseer, 

293 

Anne  of  Cleves,  portrait  by  Hol- 
bein, 190 

"Annunciation"  (Titian),  127 

Apelles,  18-20,  40 

"Apollo  and  Daphne  in  the  Vale 
of  Tempe  "  (Turner),  287 

Apollodorus,  13-14 

"Archangel  Michael"  (Raphael), 
114 

Architecture,  a  fine  art,  i  ;  more 
advanced  than  painting  among 
Oriental  nations,  12  ;  develop- 
ment of  Greek,  from  Egyptian 
and  Assyrian,  13  ;  during  the 
Romanesque  period,  150.  See 
also  Gothic 

Ariosto,  portrait  by  Bassano,  132 

Aristides,  17 

Assisi,  wall-paintings  of  Cimabue 
in  Upper  Church  at,  62  ;  fres- 
coes of  Giotto  in  Lower  Church 
at,  66 


3o6 


INDEX. 


Assyrian  painting,  9-1 1 
Augsburg  Cathedral  contains  ear- 
liest painted  windows,  51 
Augsburg  school  of  art,  iSS 
Augustine,  St.,  quoted,  2 
"Aurora"  (Guido  Reni),  145 
Avignon,    the  Vernet   Gallery  at, 
247 

"DABYLONIAN  painting,  11-13 
"  Bacchus  and  Ariadne  " 
(Titian),  124 

"  Bacchus  and  Ariadne  "  (Turner), 
288 

Balen,  Henry  van,  168 

"  Banishment  of  Ovid  from  Rome  " 
(Turner),  287 

"  Baptism  of  Christ,"  84-86 

Barbarelli,  Giorgio,  1 18-120 

Bartolommeo,  Fra,  93-94  ;  and  Ra- 
phael, 1 10 

Bartolozzi,  engraved  pictures  of 
Angelica  Kauffman,  206 

Bas-reliefs    in    Egyptian  painting, 

.      3-5 

Bassano  family,  132 
"Bathing  Soldiers"  (Michael  An- 

gelo),  108 
"  Battle  of  the  Standard"  (Vinci), 

108 
Bazzi,  or  Razzi,  1 18 
"Beauties    at    Hampton    Court" 

(Lely),  251 
"  Beggar  Boy"  (Velasquez),  210 
'*  Beggar   Boy  Munching  a  Piece 

of  Pastry  "  (Velasquez),  216 
Belgium.     See  Flanders 
"  Bella,  La"  (Titian),  124 
"  Belle  Ferronii;re,  La  "  (Vinci),  87 
*'  Belle  Jardiniere,  La"  (Raphael), 

no 


!  Bellini,  Gentile,  80-81 

Bellini,  Giovanni,  80,  81-82  ;  and 
Titian,  123  ;  and  Diirer,  197 

Bellini,  Jacopo,  80 

Bellotti,  Bernardo,  153 

Beltraffio,  Giovanni  Antonio,  93 

Bcmbo,  Pietro,  epitaph  on  Ra- 
phael, 1 16 

"  Benci,  Ginevra"  (Vinci),  89 

Bentivoglio,  Cardinal,  and  Van- 
dyck,  171 

Benvenuti,  Lorenzo,  153 

Bernardo  di  Daddo,  69 

Berreguette,  Alonzo,  208-209 

Bertoldo,  96-97 

"  Birth  of  John  the  Baptist  "  (Dii- 
rer), 198 

"  Birth  of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  58 

Bluchcr,  portrait  by  Lawrence,  270 

Boleyn,  Anne,  and  Holbein,  189 

Bologna  school,  71,  82 

"  Bolton  Abbey  in  the  Olden 
Time  "  (Landseer),  298 

"  Bonaparte  on  the  Bridge  of  Ar- 
eola "  (Gros),  242 

Borgia,  Cassar,  appoints  Da  Vinci 
engineer,  90 

Borgognone,  Ambrogio,  93 

Both,  Jan  and  Andrics,  187 

Botticelli,  Sandro,  79 

Bourdon,  Sebastian,  238 

Bowditch,  N.  I.,  quoted,  261 

"  Boy  with  a  Squirrel  "  (Copley), 
261 

Boylston,  Miss  Rebecca,  portrait 
by  Copley,  260 

Brattle,  General  William,  portrait 
by  Copley,  260 

Brauwer,  Adrian,  178 

Brenghel,  Jan,  162 

Brcnghel,  Pieter,  162 


INDEX. 


307 


Bril,  Paul,  162 

"  Broken  Jug"  (Greuze),  240 

Brunn,  cited,  21 

"Bull,  The"  (Potter),  187 

Burch,  Bishop  Van  dor,  and 
Vandyck,  172 

Burgkniair,  Hans,  instructor  of 
Holbein,  189 

Burial-places,  mediieval  paintings 
in,  41.     Si'c  also  Catacombs 

"  Burning  of  the  House  of  Lords 
and  Commons"  (Turner),  287 

Byron's  Works  illustrated  by  Tur- 
ner, 286 

*'r"ALUMNY"  (Apelles),  19 

Calvert,  Denis,    instructor 
of  Domenichino,  141 

Cammuccini,  Vincenzio,  153 

Canaletto,  153 

Cano,  Alonso,  230-232 

Canova,  designed  a  monument  for 
Titian,  128;  portrait  by  Law- 
rence, 271 

"  CantariIladeMiel,La"  (Utande), 
212 

"  Capitoline  Doves,"  34 

"  Caprices  "  (Goya),  233 

Caracci,  Annibale,  140  ;  quoted  on 
Correggio,  135  ;  on  Domeni- 
chino, 141  ;  instructor  of 
Guido  Reni,  143 

Caracci  family  and  school,  140 

Caravaggio,  150 

"  Card  Players"  (Wilkie),  292 

Carew,  Thomas,  portrait  by  Van- 
dyck, 174 

Carreno,  Juan  de,  211-212 

Carvings  of  Diirer,  198 

Casa  Grande,  the  home  of  Titian, 
126 


Castelfranco,    altar-piece    painted 

by  Giorgione,  1 19 
Castile  school  of  painting,  20S 
Castillo,  Juan  de,  instructor  of  Mu- 

rillo,  221 
Catacombs,  paintings  of,  42-45 
"  Cato  of  Utica"  (Ribera),  151 
"  Cat's  Paw  "  (Landseer),  295 
Celtic    illuminated    MSS.,     early, 

49 

Cenci,  Beatrice,  portrait  by  Guido 
Reni,  145-147 

Cennio,  quoted,  68 

Central  period  of  Middle  Ages. 
See  Romanesque 

Cespedes,  Pablo  de,  213-214 

Charles  I.,  and  Rubens,  164  ;  and 
Vandyck,  172-173  ;  portraits 
by  Vandyck,  174;  and  Dob- 
son,  249 

Charles  IL  and  Lely,  251 

Charles  IV.  and  Goya,  232 

Charles  V.,  and  Titian,  124,  126- 
127  ;  and  Diirer,  199-201  ;  and 
Berregnette,  209 

Charles  X.,  and  Gros,  242  ;  and 
Vernet,  246 

Chartres  Cathedral,  glass-painting 

in,  53 

"  Chevy  Chase"  (Landseer),  296- 
298 

"  Chiefs  (The)  Return  from  Deer- 
stalking "  (Landseer),  298 

Christ,  paintings  by  Joanes  of, 
229 

"  Christ  Bearing  the  Cross  "  (Mo- 
rales), 210 

"  Christ  Blessing  Little  Children" 
(Rembrandt),  186 

"  Christ  Crowned  with  Thorns " 
(Morales),  210 


3o8 


INDEX. 


"  Christ  Hcalingthe  Sick  "(West), 

266 
"Christ    in    Glory"    (Correggio), 

Christian  art.     See  Early 

Church  decoration  in  Gothic  pe- 
riod of  Middle  Ages,  60 

Cimabue,  G.,  61-64 

Cistercian  monks,  painted  win- 
dows in  churches  of,  54 

Clay  used  by  Babylonian  tile- 
painters,  12 

Clement  VII.,  portrait  by  Titian, 
124 

Club  of  St.  Luke  founded  by  Van- 
dyck,  173 

Coello,  Alonso  Sanchez,  210 

Coello,  Claudio,  208,  212-213 

"  Collocation  of  the  Host"  (Coel- 
lo), 213 

Cologne  school  of  art,  188 

Colonna,  Vittoria,  friendship  with 
Michael  Angelo,  103 

Colors,  Egyptian  rules  for  use  of, 
5-7 ;  in  Assyrian  paintings, 
1 1  ;  in  Pompeian  wall-paint- 
ings, 32  ;  in  illumination,  47  ; 
Raphael's  skill  in,  1 10;  dis- 
coveries by  Hubert  Van  Eyck 
in  use  of,   156 

"Communion  of  St.  Jerome" 
(Domcnichino),  141 

"  Condemnation  of  Marie  Antoin- 
ette "  (Delaroche),  242 

Consalvi,  Cardinal,  portrait  by 
Lawrence,  271 

Cook's  "  Southern  Coast,"  illus- 
trated by  Turner,  282 

Cooper,  Samuel,  249 

Copley,  John  Singleton,  259-264 

"  Copley  Family  "  (Copley),  264 


Corday,    Charlotte,     portrait     by 

Goya,  233 
Cornaro,    Caterina,     portrait     by 

Titian,  124 
Correggio,  132-139 
"  Cottage  Door"  (Gainsborough), 

258 
"Cottage  Girl"    (Gainsborough), 

258 
Court    influence    upon    art  during 

Romanesque  period,  50 
Coxie,  Michael,  copies  Van  Eyck's 

altar-piece  for  Philip  I.,  156 
Cranach,  Lucas,  202 
"  Cromwell    at    the  House  of  Sir 

Walter  Stewart"  (Landseer), 

293 

"  Cromwell  Contemplating  the 
Remains  of  Charles  I."  (Dela- 
roche), 242 

Cromwell's  directions  to  Lely  for 
painting  his  portrait,  251 

Crucifixion  as  represented  by 
Giotto,  68-69 

"  Crucifixion  "  (Fra  Angelico),  75- 
76 

"  Crucifixion  "  (Tintoretto),  130 

"  Crucifixion  "  (\'andyck),  169, 
171 

"  Crucifixion  of  St.  Peter"  (Bour- 
don), 238 

Cunningham,  Allan,  quoted,  267 

Cupid,  statue  of,  by  Michael  An- 
gelo, 98-99 

Curran,  portrait  by  Lawrence-  "^70 

Cuyp,  Albert,  186-187 

"TJAMOPHILOS,  21 

"  DanJie"  (Titian),  129 
Dance,  George,  portrait  of  Turner, 
279 


INDEX. 


309 


"Dance  of  Death"  (Holbein), 
192-193 

Danjell,  William,  portrait  by  Wil- 
kie,  293 

Dante,  portrait  by  Giotto,  64-66; 
and  Michael  Angelo,  103 

Dante's  "  Inferno,"  painting  by 
Delacroix  of  scene  from,  245 

David,  Jatques  Louis,  240-242 

"  David"  (Michael  Angelo),  99 

*'  Dead  Warrior,  The  "  (Land- 
seer),  298 

"  Death  of  the  Duke  of  Guise  " 
(Delaroche),  242,  244 

*'  Death  of  Lord  Chatham  "  (Cop- 
ley), 262 

"  Death  of  Wolfe"  (Romney),  267 

"  Death  of  Wolfe  "  (West),  266 

"  Decline  of  the  Carthaginian  Em- 
pire "  (Turner),  282 

"  Decoration  of  a  Roof,"  44-45 

Delacroix,  Eugene,  244-245 

Delaroche,  Paul,  242 

"  Demeter  Enthroned,"  34 

"  Descent  from  the  Cross "  (Ri- 
bera),  151 

**  Descent  from  the  Cross  "  (\'ol- 
terra),  104 

"  Dido  Building  Carthage  "  (Tur- 
ner), 282 

"Dionysus,  or  Bacchus"  (Aristi- 
des),  17 

"  Discovery  of  the  Herb  Mandra- 
gora,"  47-48 

Dobson,  William,  249-251  ;  and 
Vandyck,  173 

"  Dodwell  Vase  (The),"  38 

Domenichino,  141-143  ;  and  Pous- 
sin,  234 

Dorian  school  of  Sikyon,  15-17 

Dow,  Gerhard,  181 


Drawing  first  regularly  taught   in 

Sikyon  school,  17 
"  Drunken     Bacchus  "     (Michael 

Angelo),  99 
Duccio,  64 

Dupper,  portrait  of  Landseer,  301 
Diirer,  Albert,  193-202 
Dutch.     Sec  Holland 

T7ARLY  Christian  art,  41,  42-49 
Early  period  of  Middle  Ages. 
Sec  Early  Christian  art 

Eastern.     Sec  Oriental 

Eclectics  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, 140 

"  Edward  the  Confessor"  (Morti- 
mer), 267 

Edward  HL,  paintings  by  West 
from  the  life  of,  266 

Eeckhout,  Gerbrandt  van  der,  1S6 

Eginhard,  49 

Egyptian  mosaics,  36 

Egyptian  painting,  3-9 

"  Ehrenbreitstein  "  (Turner),  287 

Ekphantos,  21 

Encaustic  paintings  of  Nikias,  18 

England,  painting  in,  249-303 ; 
glass-painting  in,  53  ;  wall- 
painting  in,  60 

"England  and  Wales"  (Turner), 
282 

Engravings,  by  Rembrandt,  185  ; 
by  Diirer,  194,  198  ;  by  Ho- 
garth, 254.     See  also  Etchings 

"Entombment  of  Christ''  (Cara- 
vaggio),  150 

"Entombment  of  Christ"  (Ti- 
tian), 128-129 

Erasmus  and  Holbein,  189 

Escorial,  Giordano  painted  walls 
'  of,  213 


lO 


INDEX. 


Etching,  Rembrandt's  use  of,  182 

Etchings,  of  Salvator  Rosa,  152; 
ofTeniers,  180;  of  Rem- 
brandt, 186 

Etruscan  tombs,  decorated  with 
mural  paintings,  23  ;  stone- 
paintings  found  in,  36 

Etruscans  introduced  painting  into 
Italy  from  Greece,  13,  20-21 

Euphranor,  17 

"  Extract  from  a  Journal  whilst  at 
Abbotsford"  (Landseer),  295 

Eyck,  Hubert  van,  155-156 

Eyck,  Jan  van,  156-158 

Eyck,  Lambert  van,  158 

Eyck,  Margaretha  van,  158 

*pAES,  Peter  van  der,  251 

"False  Players"    (Caravag- 
gio),  150 
"Family  of  Darius"  (Veronese), 

131 

"  Family  Picture  "  (Copley),  262 

Farnesina  Villa,  frescoes  by  Ra- 
phael in.  III 

Farrari,  Gaudenzio,  93 

Fawkes,  H.,  friend  and  patron  of 
Turner,  277 

"Feast  of  Rose  Garlands"  (Dii- 
rer),  197 

Fernandez,  Louis,  221 

Ferrara,  Duke  of,  and  Titian,  124 

"  Field  of  Eylau  "  (Gros),  242 

"Fifth  Plague  of  Egypt"  (Tur- 
ner), 278-279 

Figure-painting  in  ancient  Greece, 
20 

Final  period  of  Middle  Ages.  Siy 
Gothic 

"Five  Senses"  (Tcniers),  180 

Flanders,  painting  in,  155-176 


"  Flaying    of    St.    Bartholomew* 

(Ribera),  151 
"  Flemish  Kermes  "  (Teniers;,  180 
"  Flora"  (Titian),  124 
Florentine  school,  72-80,  93 
Fonesca,    portrait    by   Velasquez, 

216 
"  Font,  The"  (Landseer),  300 
Foreshortening  of  Correggio,  134 
"Fortune    Teller"    (Caravaggio), 

150 
"  Four  Apostles,  The"  (Diirer),  201 
France,    painting     in,    234-248; 

glass-painting  in,  51.    Sir  also 

Gaul 
Francia,  Francisco.  82-83 
Francis  I.,  and  Da  \'inci,  90-92  ; 

and  Sarto,  105  ;  and  Raphael, 

114 
"  Francis  I.  and  Charles  V.  Visit- 
ing the  Tombs  at  St.  Denis" 

(Gros),  242 
Franconian  school,  193 
Frederick    Henry,  Prince,  scenes 

from  the  life    of,   painted  by 

Jordaens,  167 
Fuseli,  and    Angelica    Kauffman, 

204  ;  and  Landseer,  294 
Fyt,  Jan,  167 

r^ADDI,  A.,69 
Gaddi,  T.,  69 

Gainsborough,  Thomas,  258 

"  Gamba,  La"  (Vargas),  213 

Gardiner,  quoted,  260 

Gardiner,  Miss  Rebecca,  portrait 
by  Copley,  260 

Gargasos,  21 

Garrick,  David,    epitaph    on    Ho- 
garth, 254 

Gaul,  miniature-painting  in,  49 


INDEX. 


3" 


George  III.,  and  West,  265  ;    and 

Lawrence,  270 
Gericault,  Jean  Louis,  244 
German  illuminated  MSS.,  early, 

49 

Germany,  painting  in,  188-206; 
glass-painting  in,  51  ;  wall- 
painting  in,  60 

Gelee,  Claude.     See  Lorraine 

Ghirlandajo,  Domenico,  79-80,  96 

Giordano,  Luca,  213 

Giorgione,  118-120;  and  Titian, 
123 

Giotteschi,  69 

Giotto  di  Bondone,  64-69 

*'  Girl  and  Pigs  "  (Gainsborough), 
258 

Girtin,  Tom,  274 

Glass-painting,  51-54,  58-60 

"  Glykera  "  (Pausias),  17 

Goes,  Hugo  van  der,  158 

Goethe,  quoted,  205 

Goldsmith,  Oliver,  and  Reynolds, 
258 

Gomez,  Sebastian,  228-229 

Gongora,  portrait  by  Velasquez, 
216 

Gonzaga,  Giulia,  portraits  by  Pi- 
ombo,  120 

Gothic  architecture,  its  influence 
upon  painting  and  sculpture 
in  Middle  Ages,  54  ;  its  influ- 
ence upon  glass-painting,  58 

Gothic  period  of  Middle  Ages,  42, 

54-71 
Gower  family,  portraits  by  Rom- 

ney,  267 
Goya  y  Lucientes,  Francisco,  232- 

.233 
Goyen,  Jan  van,  187 
Gozzoli,  Benozzo,  80 


"  Graces  Decorating  a  Statue  of 
Hymen"  (Reynolds),  257 

Granacci,  Francisco,  80,  96 

Great  Book  of  the  Hours,  illumi- 
nation of,  58 

Greek  painting,  ancient,  13-34, 
40  ;  on  stone,  56 

Greuze,  Jean-Baptiste,  239-240 

Grimm,  quoted,  loo-ioi 

Grisaille  glass,  54 

Gros,  Antoine  Jean,  242 

Guardi,  Francesco,  153 

Guerin,  instructor  of  Gericault, 
244 ;  of  Delacroix,  245 

Guido,  Tommaso,  78-79 

Guido  of  Siena,  64 

Guido  Reni,  143-148 

Guilds  among  painters  in  Gothic 
period  of  Middle  Ages,  56 

TJALS,  Franz,   177;    and  Van- 

dyck,  169 
Hamerton,    on    Turner,    286  ;    on 

Landseer,  298 
Hamilton,     Lady,      portraits     by 

Romney,  267-268 
"Hamlet   and    Ophelia"   (West), 

266 
"Harlot's    Progress"    (Hogarth), 

2  !\2 

Haydon,  instructor   of   Landseer, 

294 
Hayman,    Francis,    instructor   of 

Gainsborough,  258 
Hayter,  J.,  portrait  of  Landseer, 

301 
"  Heidelberg  Castle  in  the  Olden 

Time"  (Turner),  287 
Hellenic  school,  18 
"  Hemicycle  "    (Delaroche),    242- 

244 


312 


INDEX. 


Henrietta  Maria,  Queen,  portraits 
by  Vandyck,  174 

"Henry  I.,"  54-55 

Henry  HI.  and  Titian,  127 

Henry  V'HI.  and  Holbein,  1S9- 
192 

Hercules,  statue  of,  by  Michael 
Angelo,  98 

Herrera,  Francisco  de,  212,  214- 
215,  216 

Hobbema,  Mindert,  188 

Hogarth,  William,  252-254 

Holbein,  Hans,  188-193 

Holland,  painting  in,  176-188  ;  fi- 
delity to  detail,  11 

"Holy  Family"  (Vandyck),  169- 
170 

Honthorst,  Gerard,  180 

Hooge,  Pieter  de,  181 

Houssaye,  A.,  92 

Hudson,   instructor  of  Reynolds, 

255 
"  Hundred  Guilders  Print"  (Rem- 
brandt), 186 

ILLUMINATION  of  MSS.,  41, 
46-49,  58 

Illustrations  used  in  Egyptian  pa- 
pyrus rolls,  8 

"Immaculate  Conception"  (Mu- 
rillo),  224,225-227,  228 

Inquisition,  its  influence  on  Span- 
ish painting,  207-208 

Intaglios  in  Egyptian  painting,  6 

Interiors,  Dutch  painters  of,  180- 
181 

Ionian  school,  15 

Ireland,  miniature-painting  in  an- 
cient, 49 

Isabella,  Empress,  portrait  by 
Titian,  127 


Isabella,  Infanta,  sends  Rubens  to 

Spain,  164 
Isabella   of   Portugal,  portrait  by 

Jan  van  Eyck,  156 

Italy,   painting  in,  13-34,  4°,  72- 

154 
"  Ixion  on  the  Wheel"  (Ribera), 

151 

JAMESON,  Mrs.,  quoted,  119 
Joanes,  Vicente  de,  229 
"  John  Knox  Preaching  "  (Wilkie), 

293 
Johnson,   Samuel,  and  Sir  Joshua 

Reynolds,  255 

Jonah,  statue  of,  modelled  by  Ra- 
phael, 115 

Jordaens,  Jacob,  167-168 

Julius  II.,  Pope,  and  Michael  An- 
gelo, 99-100;  and  Raphael, 
I II 

"Julius  II.,  Tomb  of,"  (Michael 
Angelo),  100,  loi 

"  Justinian,  Theodora,  and  Attend- 
ants," 45-46 

Justus  of  Ghent,  158 

TZAUFFMAN,  ANGELICA, 

203-206 
"  King  David,"  51 
Kncller,  Sir  Godfrey,  251-252 
"  Knight    (The),  Death,  and   the 

Devil  "  (Durer),  202 
Kugler,  quoted,  129 

T   ANDSEER,  CHARLES,  293 

Landseer,  Sir  Edwin,  293-301 
Landseer,  John,  293 
Landseer,  Thomas,  293 
Landscape-painting,     in     ancient 


INDEX. 


313 


Greece,  20  ;  in  ancient  Rome, 
27-29;  in  Holland,  186-187 

"Larder  Invaded''  (Landseer), 
295 

"  Large  Holy  Family  of  the 
Louvre  "  (Raphael),  114 

"Last  Judgment"  (Michael  An- 
gelo),  1 01 

"Last  Supper"  (Vinci),  87-89, 
92 

"  Last  Supper"  (Titian),  211 

"  Last  Supper"  (Cespedes),  214 

Last  Supper,  paintings  by  Joanes 
of,  229-230 

Lastman,  Pieter,  181 

"  Laughing  Peasant"  (Velasquez), 
216 

Lawrence,  Sir  Thomas,  269-271  ; 
portrait  of  West,  266 

"Lear"  (West),  266 

Le  Brun,  Charles,  238 

Lee,  Colonel  and  Mrs.,  portraits 
by  Copley,  260 

Lely,  Sir  Peter,  251 

Leo  X.,  and  Da  Vinci,  90  ;  and 
Raphael,  in  ;  and  Titian, 
124 

Leonardo  da  Vinci,  84-93 

Leopold  William,  Archduke,  por- 
trait by  Teniers,  179 

Leslie,  portrait  of  West,  266  ;  por- 
trait by  Landseer,  301 

Le  Sueur,  Eustache,  238 

"  Liber  Fluviorum  "  (Turner),  286 

"  Liber  Studiorum  "  (Turner),  280 

"Liber  Veritatis "  (Claude  Lor- 
raine), 237 

"  Line-fishing  off  Hastings  "  (Tur- 
ner), 287 

Lippi,  Fillipino,  79 

Lippi,  Filippo,  79 


"  Little  Girl  with  a  Lap  Dog  in  her 

Arms  "  (Greuze),  240 
Lombard  school,  93 
"  Lomellini   Family"   (Vandyck), 

171 
"  Lorelei  Twilight  "  (Turner),  278 
Lorenzo  di  Credi,  79 
Lorraine,  Claude,  236-238 
Louis  XH.  and  Da  Vinci,  90 
Louis  XHL  and  Poussin,  234-236 
Louis    XIV.,  and   Le  Brun,  238  ; 

and  Mignard,  239  ;    portraits 

by  Rigaud,  239 
Louis  XV.  and  Vernet,  240 
Louis  Philippe  and  Vernet,  246 
Liibke,  quoted,  82,  237 
"  Lucretia"  (Rembrandt),  186 
Ludius,  21-23 
Luini,  Bernardino,  93 
Luther,  Diirer's  admiration  for,  201 

TV/rADONNA  del  Sacco  (Sarto), 

107 
"  Madonna    della     Gran    Duca  " 

(Raphael),  108 
"  Madonna    di    San    Francesco " 

(Correggio),  134 
"  Madonna    di    San    Francesco " 

(Sarto),  107 
"  Madonna    Enthroned "    (Cima- 

bue),  62 
Madonnas  of  Fra  Bartolommeo,  93 
Madonnas  of  Raphael,  no 
Madonnas    of    Elisabetta    Sirani, 

148 
"Maids  of   Honor"   (Velasquez), 

218 
Mannerists,  139-140 
Mansfield,  Lord,  portrait  by  Cop- 
ley, 263 
Mantegna,  Andrea,  82,  132 


314 


INDEX. 


Mantua,  Duke  of,  a  patron  of  Ru- 
bens,  162-164  I 

Manuscripts.     See  Illumination 

Margaritone  of  Arezzo,  64 

Marochelti,  Baron,  portrait  of 
Landseer,  301 

"  Marriage  at  Cana  "  (Veronese), 

131 
"  Marriage  h.  la  Mode"  (Hogarth), 

252 
"  Marriage     of     St.     Catharine  " 

(Coello),  210 
"  Mars,     Venus,     and     Vulcan  " 

(Copley),  259-260 
"  Martyrdom     of    St.     Andrew  " 

(Utande),  212 
"  Martyrdom    of    St.    Lawrence" 

(Titian),  127 
Masaccio,  78-79 
Maso,  69 
Masolino,  78-79 
"  Massacre    of    the     Innocents  " 

(V^olterra),  104 
Matsys,  Quintin,  161 
Maximilian,  Emperor,  and  Diirer, 

198-199 
Mazzuoli,  Francesco,  139 
Mediaeval  painting,  41-71 
Medici,     Lorenzo    de,    patron    of 

Michael  Angelo,  96-97 
"  Medusa's  Head  "  (Vinci),  86 
Meise,  Gerard  van  der,  158 
Memling,  Hans,  160-161 
Memorial  windows,  origin  of,  58 
Mengs,  Raphael,  153 
"  Meniftas,  Las"  (Velasquez),  21S 
Metsu,  Gabriel,  181 
"Meyer     Madonna"     (Holbein), 

192 
Michael  Angelo,  94-104;  his  fres- 
coes of  Sistine  Chapel,    112; 


and   Raphael,    115;    and    Pi- 

ombo,  1 20-1 2 1 
Middle  Ages.     See  Mediaeval 
Mignard,  Pierre,  238-239 
Milan,  Academia  Leonardi  Vinci, 

87 

Miniaturists  in  England,  249.  See 
also  Illumination 

"  Miracle  of  St.  Mark  "  (Tinto- 
retto), 130 

Miranda,  Juan  Carrefio  de,  211- 
212 

Modena  school,  71 

"  Modern  Rome"  (Turner),  287 

"  Mona  Lisa"  (Vinci),  89-90 

Morales,  Luis  de,  209-210 

More,  Sir  Thomas,  portraits  by 
Holbein,  189 

Morland,  George,  268 

"  Morning  Among  the  Corriston 
Fells"  (Turner),  277 

Moro,  Antonio,  162 

Mosaics,  found  in  ancient  Italy,  34- 
36  ;  of  the  Middle  Ages,  41, 
45-46  ;  none  by  early  Ger- 
mans or  Celts  left,  49  ;  trans- 
parent, 51 

"  Moses,"  42-44 

Mountfort.  Dr.  de,  portrait  by 
Copley,  259 

"Mouth  of  the  Seine"  (Turner), 
2S4 

Mural  paintings,  Egyptian,  3  ; 
Assyrian,  9;  Oriental,  13; 
Pompeian,  15  ;  ancient  Greek, 
20;  of  Ludius,  21  ;  ancient 
Italian,  23-24  ;  mosaics  as, 
35  ;  in  catacombs,  44-45  ;  no 
early  Cicrman  or  Celtic  left, 
49  ;  in  Middle  Ages,  60-61 

Murillo,  220-228 


INDEX. 


315 


*'   NJAPOLEON    and   the  Pope 
at  Fontainebleau  "  (Wil- 

kie),  293 
Napoleon  III.,  portrait  by  Horace 

Vernet,  247 
"  Nativity  "  (Navarrete),  211 
"  Nativity  of  the  Saviour"  (Cor- 

reggio),  135 
**  Nativity   of   the    Virgin  "    (Mu- 

rillo),  224 
Naturalists     of    the     seventeenth 

century,  140,  150 
Navarrete,  Juan  Fernandez,  211 
*'  Navicella"  (Giotto),  66 
"  Nest  of  Cupids,"  34 
Nicholas  V.,  epitaph  on  Era  An- 

gelico,  78 
Nikias,  17-18 
Nikomachos,  17 
"  Nile  Mosaic  (The),"  36 
*'  Niobe,"  36 
Noort,    Adam   van,    instructor   of 

Rubens,     162  ;    of   Jordaens, 

167 
"Notte"  (Correggio),  135 
Nude  paintings  forbidden  by  Span- 
ish Inquisition,  208 
Nuremburg  school,  193 

**  /^LD    Temeraire "    (Turner), 

287-288 
Ophem,  Anna  van,  and  Vandyck, 

169 
Oppert,  J.,  quoted,  9,  11 
Orcagna,  Andrea,  70-71 
"Orestes   and  Pylades"    (West), 

265 
Oriental   nations    more   advanced 

in  architecture  and  sculpture 

than  in  painting,  2 
Oriental  origin  of  mosaics,  34 


Orsay,  Count  d',  portrait  of  Land- 
seer,  301 

Ostades,  Van,  178 

Outline  drawing  the  best  part  of 
Egyptian  painting,  7 

TDACHECO,  Francisco,  208,  214, 
216 

Palma,  Jacopo,  121 

Panel-pictures,  23,  50-51,  60, 
61 

Papyrus  rolls,  Egyptian  illustra- 
tions in,  8 

"  Paradise"  (Tintoretto),  130 

Pareja,  Juan  de,  220 

Parmigianino,  139 

Parrhasius,  14-15 

"  Parting  of  Hero  and  Leander  " 
(Turner),  287 

Paul  III.,  portrait  by  Titian,  126 

Pausias,  17 

Pavement  mosaics,  35-36 

"  Peep-o'-Day  Boy's  Cabin"  (Wil- 
kie),  293 

Pelham,  Charles,  portrait  by  Cop- 
ley, 259 

Pembroke,  Earl  of.  St:e  Wilton 
Family 

Perkins,  A.  T.,  quoted,  260 

Perkins,  C.  C,  quoted,  70 

Perkins,  Mrs.  Edmund,  portrait 
by  Copley,  260 

Perspective,  unknown  to  Egyp- 
tians, 5  ;  and  to  Oriental  na- 
tions, 13  ;  first  used  by  Apol- 
lodorus,  14;  its  use  in  Middle 
Ages,  58 ;  Turner's  lectures 
on,  280-281 

Perugino,  Pietro,  82,  84,  107 

Petrus,  Christus,  158 

Philip    I.,  and  Berreguette,  209; 


316 


INDEX. 


employs   Coxie   to  copy  Van 

Eyck's  altar-piece,  156 
Philip   II.,  and  Titian,   127;    and 

Morales,    209  ;     and    Coello, 

210;  and  Navarrete,  21 1 
Philip  IV.,  and  Carreno,  212  ;  and 

Zurbaran,  215  f  and  Herrera, 

215;  and  Velasquez,  216-218; 

and  Cano,  231 
Philip  of  Burgundy.,  employs  Jan 

van  Eyck,  156 
Philip  of  Macedon,    portraits  by 

Apelles,  18 
"  Phryne    Going    to    the    Public 

Baths    as   Venus  "   (Turner), 

287 
'•  Pietk,  La"  (Michael  Angelo),  99 
Pirkheimer,  Willibald,  and  Diirer, 

195 
"  Plague  at  Jaffa"  (Gros),  242 
Pliny,  quoted,  14,  21-23 
"Pointers,  To-ho  !  "   (Landseer), 

295 
Pollajuolo,  Antonio,  79 
Ponte,  Da,  family,  132 
"  Portrait  of  Dante  "  (Giotto),  64- 

66 
"  Portrait  of  a  Young  Woman " 

(Rembrandt),  186 
"  Ports  of  England"  (Turner),  282 
Potter,  Paul,  187 
Pourbus,  Frans,  162 
Pourbus,  Peter,  162 
Poussin,  Nicholas,  175,  234-236 
"Presentation    in    the    Temple" 

(Titian),  123 
**  Presentation    of    Christ    in    the 

Temple"  (Cammuccini),  154 
"  Prodigal  Son"  (Teniers),  180 
Protogenes,  19-20 
"  Provincial  Antiquities  of  Scot- 


land," illustrated  by  Turner, 
282 
"  Purisima,  La"  (Joanes),  229 

''"DAISING   of    Lazarus"    (Pi- 

ombo),  1 15 
"  Rake's  Progress"  (Hogarth),  252 
Raphael,  1 07-1 18 
Razzi,  or  Bazzi,  1 18 
"  Reading  Magdalen  "  (Correggio), 

135,  139 

Redgrave,  quoted,  277 

"  Regulus  Leaving  Rome  to  Re- 
turn to  Carthage  "  (Turner), 
287 

"Rejected  Christ"  (West),  266 

Religious  influence,  upon  Egyptian 
artists,  8-9  ;  in  Romanesque 
period,  50  ;  in  Gothic  period, 
56  ;  upon  Spanish  painters, 
207 

Rembrandt,  181-186 

Renaissance,  41,  72 

"Rent  Day"  (Wilkie),  292 

"  Repulse  and  Defeat  of  the  Span- 
ish Floating  Batteries  at  Gib- 
raltar "  (Copley),  262 

Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  251-258  ; 
and  Angelica  Kauffman,  204  ; 
portrait  of,  250  ;  and  Romney, 
267 

Ribalta,  Francisco  de,  230 

Ribera,  Giuseppe,  i 50-1 51 

Ribera,  Josef  de,  230 

Rigaud,  Hyacinthe,  238,  239 

Rincon,  Antonio  del,  207 

Ritchie,  Leitch,  on  Ruskin,  286- 
287 

"Rivers  of  England"  (Turner), 
282 

Robusti,  Jacopo,  130 


INDEX. 


317 


Robusti,  Marietta,  130-131 

Rogers's  ''Poems,"  illustrated  by 
Turner,  286 

Roman  painting,  ancient.  See 
Italian 

Roman  school,  107 

Romanesque  period  of  Middle 
Ages,  42,  50-54 

Romano,  Giulio,  116,  118 

Romney,  George,  266-268 

Rosselli,  Cosinio,  80 

Rossi,  de,  quoted,  204 

"Rotello  del  Fico"  (Vinci),  86 

"Rotterdam  Ferry-boat"  (Tur- 
ner), 284 

Rubens,  162-167  5  ^^"'^  Vandyck, 
168,  169  ;  as  an  alchemist, 
175  ;  in  England,  249 

Rubrics,  47 

Rupert,  Prince,  portraits  by  Van- 
dyck, 174 

Ruskin,  on  Turner,  280-281,  282, 
283-284,  288 

Ruysdael,  Jacob,  187-188 

CACCHI,  ANDREA,  instructor 

of  Poussin,  234 
"  Sacrifice  of  Iphigcnia  "  (Timan- 

thes),  15 
"  St.  Anthony  Adoring  the  Virgin 

and  Child"  (Sirani),  149 
"  St.  Anthony  of  Padua"  (Murillo), 

224 
"St.  Cecilia"  (Raphael),  118 
"St.  Clara  of  Assisi "    (Murillo), 

223 
"  St.  Diego  of  Alcala"  (Murillo), 

223 
"  St.  Francis  "  (Murillo),  223 
**  St.  George  Slaying  the  Dragon" 

(Raphael),  108,  110 


"St.  Hermengild  "  (Herrera),  215 

"  St.  Margaret  "  (Titian),  212 

"  St.     Margaret    Overcoming   the 

Dragon"  (Raphael),  114 
"  St.  Martin  "  (Vandyck),  170 
"St.  Michael"  (Guido  Reni;,  147 
"St.    Michael   Attacking  Satan" 

(Raphael),  108 
"  St.  Peter  Martyr"  (Titian),  129 
St.    Peter's,  Michael    Angclo    the 
architect  of,  103  ;  supervision 
of  building  by  Raphael,  114 
"  St.  Sebastian"  (Coello),  210 
"  St.  Sebastian  "  (Vinci),  90 
Salvator  Rosa,  151-152 
Sarto,  Andrea  del,  104-107 
Savonarola,  94-97 
Saxony,  school  of,  202 
"Scene    at    Abbotsford"    (Land- 
seer),  295 
"  Scene  in  the  Lower  World,"  38 
"  School     of    Anatomy "     (Rem- 
brandt), 182-184 
Scott, Walter, ' '  Poems  "  and '  •  Life 
of  Napoleon "   illustrated   by 
Turner,     284  ;       portrait     by 
Leslie,    295  ;    and    Landsecr, 
295-296 
"  Scourging  of  St.  Andrew"  (Do- 

menichino),  141 
Sculpture,    more    advanced    than 
painting  among  Oriental  na- 
tions, 112  ;  Greek,  developed 
from  Egyptian  and  Assyrian, 

'3 
Sebastian  del  Piombo,   115,   120- 

121 
Segnier,  Chancellor,  and  Le  Brun, 

238 
Seneca,  head  by  Cespcdes,  214 
Seville  in  lime  of  Murillo,  221 


3i8 


INDEX. 


Seville  Acadamy  of  Art,  founded 

by  Murillo,  225 
Seville   school   of    painting,    208, 

213 
Shakespeare's  characters,  painted 

by  Romney,  268 
"Shepherd    Boy    in    a    Shower" 

(Gainsborough),  258 
"  Shepherds    Adoring    the    Infant 

Saviour"  (Correggio),  135-137 
"Shrine    of   St.    Ursula"  (Mem- 
ling),  160- I 61 
"Sibyl  (The)  and  the  Emperor" 

(\^an  der  Wcyden),  158-159 
Siddons,    Mrs.,  portrait  by    Rey- 
nolds, 255 
Signorelli,  Luca,  76,  80 
Sikyon  school,  15-17 
Simone,  Martini,  69-70 
Sirani,  Elisabetta,  148-150 
"  Sistine     Madonna"    (Raphael), 

114 
"  Slave  Ship"  (Turner),  288-289 
Smith,     Sydney,    and    Landseer, 

299 
Snyders,  Frans,  167 
Solario,  Andrea,  93 
Sosos,  34 

Spain,  painting  in,  207-233 
*' Sposalizio,  Lo  "  (Raphael),  107- 

108 
"  Staffa  Madonna"  (Raphael),  108 
Stecn,  Jan,  178 
Still-life,     Dutch      excellence      in 

painting,  177 
Stirling,  quoted,  215,  218,  228 
Stone,  paintings  on,  36 
Strada,  portrait   by  Marietta  Ro- 

busti,  130 
Strafford,  Earl  of.  Sir  Wentworth, 

Thomas 


Studius.     See  Ludius 

Suckling,    Sir    John,    portrait    by 

Vandyck,  174 
Suger,  Abbot,  53 
Sunder,  Lucas,  202 
"Surrender   of  Arundel    Castle" 

(Landseer),  293 
Swanenburg,  J.  J.  van,  instructor 

of  Rembrandt,  181 

HTADIUS.     St-e  Ludius 

Tafi,  A.,  64 
Tasso,  portrait  by  Rassano,  132 
"Temporal    Generation    of    Our 

Lord  "  (V'argas),  213 
Teniers,  David,  178-180 
Terburg,  Gerhard,  181 
Thackeray's  (Miss)  "  Miss  Angel" 

the  story  of  Angelica  Kautif- 

man,  203 
Thornbury,  quoted,  283 
Thornhill,  Sir  James,  252 
"  Three  Graces"  (Palma),  121 
"  Three  Graces  "  (Raphael),  1 10 
Thurlow,  Lord  Chancellor,  portrait 

by  Romney,  267 
Tile-painting,     Assyrian,      9-1 1; 

Babylonian,  1 1-12 
Timanthes,  15 
Tintoretto,  130 
Titian,    121-130;   and    Correggio, 

135  ;  his  "  Last  Supper,"  211; 

instructor  of  Navarrete,  211  ; 

Carrefio's    copy    of   his    "  St. 

Margaret,"  212 
Tobar,  Alonzo  Miguel  de,  213,  229 
Toledo,  Coello  painter  to  the  Ca- 
thedral of,  213 
Torrigiano,  Pit!;tro,  98 
"Tragic  Muse"  (Reynolds),  255 
"  Transfiguration  "  (Raphael),  115 


INDEX. 


319 


Transitional  period,  61 

"  Trattato  della  Pittura"  (Vinci), 

93 
"  Triumphal  Arch  of  Maximilian  " 

(Diirer),  199 
Tulp,  Professor,  portrait  by  Rem- 
brandt, 184 
Turner,  Charles,  280 
Turner,  J.  M.  W.,  271-292 
"  Turner's  Annual  Tour,"  286 

TJCCELLO,  PAOLO,  79 

"  Ulysses  Dividing  Polyphe- 
mus "  (Turner),  283 

"Ulysses    in    the    Under-world" 
(Nikias),  17 

Umbrian  school,  82 

Urban  VIII.  and  Claude  Lorraine, 
236 

Utande,  Gregorio,  212 

TTyENIUS,  OTTO,  instructor  of 

Rubens,  162 
Velde,  Adrian  van  de,  186 
Valencia  school,  208,  229 
Vandyck,  Anthony,   168-176;    in 

England,  249 
Vargas,  Luis  de,  213 
Varnish,     improvements    by    the 

Van  Eycks  in  the  use  of,  156 
Vasari,  quoted,  75 
Vase-painting  by  the  ancients,  36- 

40 
Vatican,  decoration  by  Raphael  of 

the  halls  of,  1 1 1 
Vega,  Lope  de,  on  Coello,  210; 

on  Navarrete,  21 1 
Velasquez,  215-220  ;  and  Murillo, 

222    227 
**  Venice  from  the  Salute  Church  " 

(Turner),  287 


Venetian  school,  80-82,  118 

"  Venus"  (Titian),  124 

"  Venus  Anadyomene  "  (Apelles)^ 

19 

Vernet,  Carle,  245 

Vernet,  Claude  Joseph,  240 

Vernet,  Horace,  245-248 

Veronese,  Paul,  131 

Verrocchio,  Andrea,  79,  84 

Vescovi,  Marco  dei,  portrait  by 
Marietta  Robusti,  130 

Victoria,  Ouecn,  and  Landseer, 
298-299 

Vicn,  Joseph  Marie,  240 

"  Vierge,  La,  au  Panier  "  (Correg- 
gio),  137-139 

"  View  of  Ronn;  from  the  Aven- 
tine  Hill"  (Turner),  287 

"  Village  Festival"  (Wilkic),  292 

"  Village  Politicians "  (Wilkie), 
292 

Vincent,  instructor  of  Horace  Ver- 
net, 245 

Vinci,  Leonardo  da,  84-93,  99 

Virgin,  pictures  by  Murillo  of, 
227  ;  by  Joanes,  229 

"  Virgen  delaSevilletd  "  (Murillo), 
22 1> 

"  Vision  of  St.  Jerome  "  (Parmi- 
gianino),  139 

Vitruvius,  quoted,  20 

Volterra,  Daniele  de,  104 

"  Von  Tromp  Returning  from  Bat- 
tle "  (Turner),  284 


■VXTAAGEN,  Dr.,  on  Turner,  290 

Walls.     .SVv  Mural 
Washington,  George,  portrait  by 

Copley,  260 
Water,  Egyptian  painting  of,  5 


320 


INDEX. 


"  Water  Carrier  of  Seville  "  (Ve- 
lasquez), 216 

Watson,  Elkanah,  portrait  by  Cop- 
ley, 262-263 

"Watson  and  the  Shark"  (Cop- 
ley), 262 

Watteau,  Antoine,  239 

"  Way  to  Calvary"  (Morales),  210 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  portrait  by 
Lawrence,  270 

Wells  and  Turner,  278 

Welsteed,  Rev.  William,  portrait 
by  Copley,  259 

Wentworth,  Thomas,  portrait  by 
Vandyck,  174 

Wentworth,  Lady,  and  Angelica 
Kauffman,  204 

West,  Benjamin,  265-266 ;  and 
Copley,  261 

Weyden,  Rogier  van  der,  158-159 

Weyden,  Rogier  van  der,  the 
younger,  159-160 

Wilkie,  Sir  David,  292-293 


Williams,  quoted,  270 

Wilson,  Richard,  254 

"Wilton  Family,  The"  (Van- 
dyck), 174 

Winckelmann  and  Angelica  Kauff- 
man, 204 

"  Wind-Mills"  (Hobbema),  188 

Window-painting.     Sec  Glass 

Wohlgemuth,  Michael,  instructor 
of  Diirer,  194 

"  Woodman  and  Dog  in  a  Storm" 
(Gainsborough),  258 

Wornum,  on  Turner,  290 

Wouverman,  Philip,  187 

"Wreck  of  the  Medusa"  (G6ri- 
cault),  244 

Wynants,  Jan,  187 

7EUXIS,  14-15 

Zuccaro,  on  Cespedes,  214 
Zuccato,  Sebastian,  instructor  of 

Titian,  123 
Zurbaran,  Francisco,  215 


FINIS. 


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